


Beauty And The Beasts

by Galexyi



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst, Hwang Hyunjin-centric, M/M, OT8, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:15:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 27,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26666551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galexyi/pseuds/Galexyi
Summary: Hidden away somewhere in the bustling city of Seoul lies the notorious Miroh Casino run by seven mysterious figures. In this place, you can win whatever your heart desires… if your luck holds on. To all those who dare venture within, will this place be your escape towards heaven or the hell that traps you within?
Relationships: Bang Chan/Hwang Hyunjin, Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Everyone/Everyone, Han Jisung | Han/Hwang Hyunjin, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Felix, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Everyone, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin, Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Felix, Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin, Hwang Hyunjin/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Kim Seungmin/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin
Comments: 181
Kudos: 481





	1. Chapter 1

_It started with a glittering golden envelope. The envelope sat on the dining table, resting gently on a white porcelain plate as it reflected rays of light from the sun._

He sat at the edge of his seat, eyes trained on the movements in front of him. The dealer’s gloved hands deftly shuffled the deck of cards before laying them in front of each patron.

_He had opened the envelope and unfolded the letter, pure curiosity getting the better of him. A message was printed in white ink on the piece of stiff black paper._

He picked up the cards dealt to him, rearranging their order within his grip. His cards were not terrible but they were not particularly impressive either. 

_His eyes unconsciously widened as he took in the message._

He waited for his turn impassively, gaze sweeping around the table to take in the expression of the other players. His experience at cards had taught him how to maintain the perfect poker face a long time ago but the others may not share that same level of experience. Indeed, there were visible looks of dismay on some of the players’ faces.

_Everything that you want is yours to have… if you are ready to put everything you own at stake._

When his turn finally arrived, he decided to fold. There was no point in losing all his money on everything when the game had not even truly begun.

_An address was printed underneath the message._

There was a narrow staircase leading up to a doorway. Two guards dressed in full-black stood on either side of the doorway, tugging the black mesh curtains out of the way for anybody entering the room within. For the past five hours since he first stepped into the casino, he had only seen people entering.

_The contents of the letter had his heart racing, thoughts swarming in his head as he collapsed onto an empty chair._

The games played in the front of the casino were nothing more than mere warm-ups. The real game waited in the back room. A game where you had to stake everything you own on the line for the sake of granting your heart’s deepest desire.

_Having frequented most of the casinos and gambling dens in Seoul, he was not unfamiliar to the myth of Miroh. Like many others, he had thought nothing of it, believing it to be a mere rumour. After all, a casino where you can win whatever you desire could only be the stuff of fantasies…_

He turned his attention back to the game in front of him as the next game began and the cards were shuffled again.

_Whether it was riches, power or fame, as long as it was your deepest desire, it can be granted to you at the Miroh Casino… as long as you can win a game of cards in the backroom. A best of one against one of the elusive owners of the casino._

Another game with unfavourable cards. Lady luck was not on his side. He reassured himself that it would be fine, that he was simply saving up his luck to be used in the backroom. It didn’t matter that he lost at every single one of these games as long as he won the game that truly mattered.

_A person can only know of and enter the Miroh Casino if they were sent the invitation. It would appear out of thin air, presenting itself to you in a glittering gold envelope. No one knows who or how people were selected for the casino._

A light tap on his shoulder. He looked up and met the smiling eyes of a woman clad in a black suit. All-black seemed to be the dress code for casino employees.

_Nobody had ever declined the invitation. Why would they?_

The woman said his name aloud and he nodded in confirmation. He had seen her walking around the casino several times earlier. Each time, she would approach a single patron. Whoever she spoke with would get up from the table and be escorted to the backroom. It seemed to be her job to send the next player into the backroom.

_There was however, one very important rule of the Miroh Casino. This was a rule that every version of the myth agreed on._

“It’s your turn.” The woman spoke softly but the heavy implications of her words made them appear resoundingly loud even in the midst of the bustling casino. He got up and followed her up the stairs, past the curtains and through the doorway.

_In the backroom, whatever you bet had to be equal to the weight of your desire._

The room was dimly lit. Another two guards stood on either side of the room, posture straight and eyes alert.

_He reread the contents of the letter again and again._

A figure dressed in black sat at one end of the table, idly swirling a glass of liquor in his hand. All the employees at the casino were dressed in black but he would never make the mistake of thinking that this person was a mere employee. The arrogant posture and air of authority made his identity more than clear.

_But it didn’t take long for him to make up his mind. Why would it?_

He walked to the empty chair placed at the other end of the table with a pounding heart. The din of the casino appeared faraway, muted by the curtains and thick walls. He took his seat and a glass of whiskey was poured for him.

_Why would anyone reject the opportunity of fulfilling their heart’s deepest desire?_

The dealer waited for him to take a sip of the whiskey before speaking. “State your bet and your desire. I believe you know the rules here, sir.”

_To grant his heart’s deepest desire, he would put everything at stake…_

He stated them. The dealer shuffled the cards. The game began.

_It started with a glittering golden envelope and it ended with him losing everything he owned, including his son, in cards._


	2. Chapter 2

Frost crawled across the edges of the windowpane as grey skies stretched on for miles beyond. Mist gathered on an area of glass, marking Hyunjin’s soft exhale. With his head resting against the cool surface of the window, his eyes continued scanning the streets in front of the apartment.  
  
His attention diverted as his gaze turned to the object within his hand. The crimson petals of the rose felt velvety beneath his fingers and he traced a path from the tip of the flower down to its stem. His fingers slowed before the jagged thorns and for a moment, he pressed the tip of his finger against it. A sharp sting blossomed beneath his skin and he pulled back before the thorn could pierce through his skin and draw blood.  
  
Another loud exhale escaped him as he went back to watching the streets, idly toying with the stalk of rose in his hand. The dimness of the apartment contrasted with the bright grey slate of the city, creating a bleak portrait with Hyunjin at its centre.  
  
Almost all of the light had fallen from the sky when a figure appeared on the walkway leading to the apartment. The slightly hunched figure was hidden beneath a tan coat and layers of red woollen scarf but Hyunjin had no trouble recognising him. The red rose fell from his hand, the sharp thorns lightly scratching against his skin in his haste to get to his feet.  
  
He scrambled to the door, yanking it open and dashing towards his father. The cold autumn wind cut through the thin layer of fabric he was wearing but Hyunjin didn’t pay it any attention. Tugging strands of his blonde hair away from his face, he called out towards the person in front of him.  
  
“Father!” His voice was breathy and his teeth were chattering slightly but his joy was unconcealed.  
  
Tired eyes gazed up at him before merely nodding in acknowledgement.  
  
“Are you hungry? I can prepare something for you to eat. You didn’t come home last night and I was so worri-“  
  
“Just a cup of tea will do.” His father’s curt words cut short his rambling and Hyunjin nodded jerkily.  
  
The father and son walked up the steps to their apartment in silence. As his father shedded some of his outer layers of clothing, Hyunjin went to the pantry and pulled out the teapot, a teacup and a container of tea leaves.  
  
“Did something keep you from coming home last night, Father?” Hyunjin asked as he measured a small amount of tea leaves into the teapot. He set the teapot on the stove after adding water, fumbling with the knobs of the gas stove before managing to switch it on. “You could have at least called home. I was worried sick.”  
  
His father dropped into a chair at the dining table and cleared his throat. “Hyunjin, come here.”  
  
Leaving the pot of tea to boil on the stove, Hyunjin walked around the table and sat in front of his father. His fingers curled around the end of his shirt as he waited for his father to speak.  
  
“I lost the apartment.”  
  
Hyunjin’s head whipped up at those words as he fixed his father with an incredulous gaze. “You went gambling again?! I thought you had promised to quit! After the last time, you told me that you would quit and I believed you!”  
  
Silence hung in the air after his angry words as his father kept his eyes trained on the table. Hyunjin abruptly got up from the table, striding over to the stove to check on the pot of tea.  
  
“After everything… I thought that you would have turned over a new leaf. But yet…” A lump welled up in his throat and Hyunjin found himself momentarily devoid of the ability to speak.  
  
“I’m… sorry, Hyunjin.”  
  
Hyunjin didn’t spare even a glance in his father’s direction.  
  
Instead, he picked up the kettle with trembling hands, carefully pouring the tea into the teacup that he had set out. He carried the teacup over to his father, placing it in front of him before returning to the window seat. The stalk of rose that he had carelessly flung onto the ground found its way back into his hand.  
  
A loud clink resonated through the room as his father set the teacup down after gulping down half of its content. Another few moments passed before the tensed silence was broken by Hyunjin’s father.  
  
“I had to take the risk. I… I wanted to… I wanted to restore everything to how it was back then.”  
  
Hyunjin’s vision blurred, the green and red hues of the rose blending together into a smear.  
  
“What are we going to do now? Live on the streets?” It took everything just to ensure that his voice didn’t waver.  
  
“I… I…” It took a few tries before his father managed to say it. “They will be coming to collect you and the apartment tomorrow.”  
  
His grip tightened around the rose as tiny thorns carved their way into the flesh of his palm.  
  
“You gambled me away.” It wasn’t an accusation but a fact. A few petals had been detached from the crushed rose and drifted silently to the ground.  
  
“I… I’m sorry, Hyunjin.”  
  
Hyunjin pulled out the thorns that had embedded themselves in his hand and blood welled up instantly. Leaving the crushed rose in a mess of its fallen petals, he left the room to find a bandage for his wounds. 

* * *

The sound of his humming echoed within the room as he uncapped the bottle of water. He poured water into the flowerpot, carefully avoiding the jagged thorns. Stepping back, he took a moment to admire the flourishing pot of roses.  
  
“They grew well, didn’t they?” The voice came from behind him.  
  
“I’m sure he’ll be happy to see how well they grew.”  
  
“Do you think he’s well too?”  
  
A finger reached out with utmost gentleness, caressing the crimson petals of one of the roses. “I hope so.”  
  
“Well… we’ll just have to see for ourselves, won’t we?”


	3. Chapter 3

Loud banging sounds rudely awoke Hyunjin from his beauty sleep. A groan slipped through his lips and was muffled by the pillow that he had his face buried in. The banging noises didn't cease and only grew in intensity, chasing away the last of his sleep. 

Hyunjin reluctantly forced himself into an upright position. He winced as his bandaged hand made contact with the bed. With his uninjured hand, he rubbed at his bleary eyes.

Still disorientated, he gazed blankly into the air as he tried to make sense of things. Memories from the day before came flooding into his mind and abruptly, Hyunjin was wide awake.

Hyunjin's heart was pounding in unison with the relentless knocks on the door as he rummaged through his sheets, pushing aside the blankets to look for his phone. He eventually found the device on the ground beside the bed.

To Hyunjin's despair, unlocking the phone revealed that he had missed every single one of the five alarms that he had set last night. The time was already way past noon. His grand plan to make his escape before the creditors came to collect him and the apartment had fallen through before he could even begin on it.

Cursing his inability to wake up in the morning, he hopped off the bed and stood in the middle of his bedroom as his mind scrambled to put together a new plan. Recalling that he didn’t live alone in the apartment, he hurried to his father’s bedroom.

The furniture in the master bedroom was askew, crumpled sheets were strewn all over the room and the drawers were pulled wide open, revealing the empty space within. Hyunjin’s eyes felt warm as he gazed at the evidence of his father’s abandonment of him.

The knocking at the door had finally ceased and Hyunjin could only hope that whoever it was had given up and left. The pain in his heart had to be suppressed as he went about packing his belongings in his suitcase.

Once upon a time, the valuables that he owned filled up rooms after rooms in the mansion he lived in. Now, his few belongings could be crammed into a mere suitcase.

After taking a moment to wash up and dress himself in warmer clothes, Hyunjin headed for the door with the suitcase in hand. As he passed by the living room, he paused in his steps and scanned the area.

The remnants of the rose’s stalk and petals lay in a pile under the window seat, exactly where he had left them yesterday. Not far from it, a framed family photograph sat on the mantel, three smiling faces staring back at Hyunjin. Turning away from it, he stepped towards the door again.

He ended up stopping again. Stomping towards the photo frame, he roughly picked it up and shoved it into his suitcase before slamming it shut again.

Wiping at his damp eyes, he took one last look around the apartment that had been his home for the past year. Even though the apartment didn’t hold any good memories for him, Hyunjin had always been overly sentimental.

Knowing that he had to leave before the creditors showed up, Hyunjin hardened his heart and left the apartment. He had only just stepped through the door when a trio of strangers came into view and Hyunjin realised that he had been a fool for hoping that luck would be on his side.

Luck was never on his side.

A female with long reddish-brown hair, dressed in a simple black formal dress was flanked by two other men in black suits. The three of them stood on the sidewalk in front of the house, blocking off Hyunjin’s only way of escape. The female was in the middle of a phone call with her back to the house and Hyunjin briefly contemplated whether he could escape back into the house without being noticed.

Before he could even attempt to make a decision, one of the men spotted him. Hyunjin could see the other’s lips moving, probably alerting the female of Hyunjin’s presence. The female quickly hung up her phone and rushed up the steps towards Hyunjin. He took an involuntary step back.

“Hello! You must be Hyunjin!” Her voice was cheery but Hyunjin wasn’t comforted in the least. “I’m Park Jimin. I’m here on behalf of the Miroh Casino.”

“I…” Hyunjin took a few more steps back into the house.

His fear must have been written all over his face as Jimin softened her tone and continued speaking in a cajoling manner. “Don’t worry. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m just here to bring you to the casino.”

Hyunjin reached for the door but the man who spotted him earlier had already placed his hand against the door, preventing Hyunjin from closing it. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t win against the other’s strength.

Amidst the fierce tug-of-war over the door, Jimin hastily stepped into the apartment. “Hyunjin, stop this!”

“Just let me go!”

“I can’t do that. I have my orders from the owners to bring you to them. I will bring you to them even if I have to resort to using force.”

Recognising the futility of his efforts, Hyunjin released his grip on the door. His eyes were full of distrust as he glared at the group of three standing in the doorway of the apartment. “What could they possibly want with me?”

“You can ask them that later.” Jimin hauled his suitcase off the ground as the two bodyguards stepped forward and each took one of Hyunjin’s arms.

Hyunjin didn’t stand a chance against two well-built professional bodyguards and against his will, he was pulled across the sideway and forced into the car waiting on the side of the street. Yelling for help would do him no good in this part of Seoul; no one in these areas would ever come to his assistance. Jimin loaded his suitcase in the trunk of the car before getting into the backseat next to him.

She pulled out her phone and quickly made a phone call. “I’ve secured him. We’re on the way back to the casino now.” Jimin glanced in his direction. “Yes, sir.”

For the first few minutes of the drive, even after Jimin had hung up the phone, Hyunjin refused to look at her and stared stiffly out of the window. Eventually, the view of the city outside the car window grew repetitive and despite the anger simmering within him, Hyunjin turned to Jimin.

“I’ve never even heard of the Miroh Casino.”

Jimin’s smile was mysterious. “You’ve never heard of the myth of Miroh?”


	4. Chapter 4

“The myth of Miroh tells the story of a wish-granting casino. By winning in a game of cards against the owners of the casino, any individual can have their deepest desire granted. Whether it was riches, power or fame, as long as it was the individual’s deepest desire, it can be granted to them.”

Hyunjin scoffed. “Sounds like a load of crap to me. Magic doesn’t exist. This is probably just some bullshit story that someone came up with to get more people to patronise the casino.”

Jimin let out a little chuckle. “Is that so?”

Hyunjin had always been a person who was loyal to his own beliefs. Regardless of whatever others told him, he stood fast by the things he believed in. He had never been one to easily waver or be persuaded.

So why did Jimin’s words manage to plant the smallest shred of doubt in him?

No matter how much Hyunjin continued to probe about the casino, Jimin refused to answer any further. “You’ll find out soon enough,” was all she had said before she pulled out a laptop and started typing furiously on it.

Having lost his conversation partner, Hyunjin went back to gazing out the car window as he mulled over his own circumstances and the myth of Miroh. If someone ever told him that he would end up being sold by his father to the owners of a magical wish-granting casino, he would most definitely have laughed in that person’s face.

_How did your life turn out this way, Hwang Hyunjin?_

The clicking of keys and flashing scenery soon lulled him to sleep...

* * *

When he awoke, the movement of the car had already stopped. Glancing out the window, Hyunjin recognised that they seemed to be in a garage. Metal shutter doors were lined up in rows, concealing the vehicles behind them. It was easily the largest garage that Hyunjin had even been in.

“Come on, sleepyhead. Geeze, it took forever just to wake you up. Let’s not keep the owners waiting any longer.” Jimin was already waiting for him outside the vehicle.

Hyunjin stepped out of the car, his eyes busy taking in his surroundings. Jimin waved him over towards her and guided him to an elevator tucked away in a corner of the garage. To Hyunjin’s surprise, the two bodyguards didn’t follow them.

The two of them took the elevator up to the third floor. Once they had gotten off the elevator, Hyunjin found himself standing in a wide corridor with a single door. Jimin took out an envelope from her pocket and handed it to him. The golden-coloured envelope felt smooth and glossy under Hyunjin's fingers as he tore it open.

"I'm not allowed beyond here," Jimin explained simply before stepping back onto the elevator and leaving Hyunjin standing alone in the vast and empty corridor. Even though Jimin was technically his enemy, Hyunjin couldn't help but wish that she had stayed. At least he wouldn't have to be alone in this strange and foreign location then.

Hyunjin peered into the envelope. There was only a small piece of paper in the envelope with six digits written on it. 250318.

He immediately guessed what the numbers were for and confirmed his suspicion when he moved closer to the door and caught sight of the electronic keypad beside it. He keyed in the pin code and the door unlocked with a soft beep.

Hyunjin's hands were clammy with sweat as he pushed on the handle and opened the door. He walked into a huge penthouse.

What seemed to be a living room area was bright and airy with large ceiling-to-floor windows which allowed sunlight to illuminate the white walls within the apartment. Simple but tasteful furniture decorated the room. Despite the circumstances that he was in, Hyunjin couldn't help but admire the loveliness of the penthouse. Whoever had decorated the house seemed to share the exact same preferences that Hyunjin had and everything about the penthouse seemed to suit his taste perfectly.

Oddly enough, there was not a figure in sight and Hyunjin frowned a little at that. Wasn't he supposed to meet the owners of the casino?

He walked further into the penthouse. On one side of the penthouse, a pot of red roses grew in front of a single arched-shaped window. The window was ajar, letting in the hint of a breeze which rustled the leaves of the rose plant.

The sight in front of him sent a strange sensation coursing through him. Hyunjin couldn't quite figure out what that feeling was. Whatever it was, he found himself moving across the room to stand in front of the rose plant, reaching out with his hand to touch the crimson petals of one of the roses...

"...Hyunjin?" Hearing his name being called all of a sudden was sufficient to break whatever spell he was under. Hyunjin startled, withdrawing his outstretched hand. He had been so fixated on the rose plant in front of him that he failed to notice the other person entering the room.

Spinning around, he met the wide gaze of another male. The dangling silver earrings on the other's ears caught the light as he approached Hyunjin.

Guilt washed over Hyunjin as he waited for the other to lash out at him. He figured that if a stranger had come into his apartment and touched his things without his permission, he would be equally as shocked by the person's imprudence and be absolutely infuriated.

"W...Why are you h... here?" That question was something that Hyunjin definitely didn't expect. He blinked at the other in confusion as he attempted to explain himself.

"I... uh... Jimin told me to come in? She told me that uh... the owners had sent for me? I... She gave me an envelope with the code and left. She said she wasn't allowed in here. And uh... I keyed in the code and entered but no one was here so... so..." Hyunjin trailed off, embarrassment staining his cheeks bright pink. He awkwardly tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear.

"I... I..." The male seemed to have decided that anything else was more interesting to look at than Hyunjin, his gaze darting around the room to avoid his. "I have to go," he declared shortly before practically running out of the room and disappearing into another part of the penthouse.

"Hey!" Hyunjin called after the other, completely dumbfounded. Yet again, he was left all alone in this unfamiliar place. He resisted the urge to stamp his feet like a petulant child.

Hyunjin was tempted to chase after the strange male or attempt to find someone else in the penthouse who could tell him where he was supposed to go. This was all starting to feel like a huge mistake. Did Jimin send him to the wrong location? He was supposed to meet the owners of the casino but the only person whom he had encountered so far was a strange male who had ran away after seeing him.

A familiar beeping sounded from the door that Hyunjin had entered through. The door was pushed open and a man walked in. The first thing that Hyunjin noticed about the other male was his ash-blue hair.

He immediately noticed Hyunjin’s presence, stopping in his tracks as his eyes met Hyunjin’s. The male visibly swallowed as he stared at Hyunjin unblinkingly.

“Hello, Hyunjin,” the other greeted him softly as he walked closer.


	5. Chapter 5

“Hello,” Hyunjin greeted back.  
  
A gust of wind swept in through the window and strands of his golden hair momentarily obscured his vision. Hyunjin pushed his hair behind his ears as he watched the other male sweep ash-blue hair out of his eyes.  
  
Perhaps it was a trick of the light but the other male’s eyes seemed unusually shiny.  
  
The male came to a stop in front of Hyunjin. His right hand lifted slightly before falling to his side again as he cleared his throat. “I’m Seo Changbin. It’s nice to finally… meet you.”  
  
“Well, I’m Hwang Hyunjin, but you already know that.” Hyunjin tried to hide his awkwardness behind a small laugh.  
  
“Yes, I already know that.” Changbin nodded slowly. Their gazes locked and Changbin’s deep gaze held Hyunjin captive. Was this what all the romance novels he read meant by being lost in someone’s eyes?  
  
When the wind blew Hyunjin’s hair into his eyes again, he hurriedly pushed his hair back but the spell had already been broken. Changbin smiled slightly as he turned to look around the room. “It’s a good thing that I found you before anyone else could.”  
  
That wasn’t technically true, considering the other male who had come across him earlier but Hyunjin deemed it unnecessary to correct Changbin.  
  
Changbin waved his hand towards the large white couch in the room. “Take a seat. Please make yourself at… home.” Changbin’s voice broke on the last word and he cleared his throat again.  
  
Hyunjin nodded and took a seat on the couch while Changbin seated himself opposite Hyunjin.  
  
“As you may have guessed by now, I am one of the owners of the casino.” Hyunjin nodded again at the other’s words. “Your… father was one of the patrons of the casino and he agreed to turn you over to us if he lost in the game of cards.”  
  
Changbin retrieved a piece of paper from the pocket of his leather jacket, unfolding it and sliding it across the coffee table towards Hyunjin. It was an official agreement signed by his father, the looping signature familiar to Hyunjin.  
  
He quickly scanned the contents of the agreement, feeling his heart sink even further with every word. Hyunjin silently shoved the piece of paper back across the table.  
  
"You'll be living here from now on."  
  
Hyunjin's eyes widened as he examined Changbin's expression, wondering if the other was somehow lying to him. This made no sense to him. Why would the owners of the casino want to keep him when they could do anything they wanted to him? They could have sold him for a profit or worse...  
  
Oh.  
  
"Am I to be your slave or your toy?" His tone was bitter, the words spoken through gritted teeth. He should have thought of this earlier. What else could the owners of the casino want him for?  
  
It was Changbin's turn to widen his eyes at Hyunjin's words. "No, no," Changbin waved his hands around frantically. "That's not what I meant... I... That's... That's not it!"  
  
"What else could you want from me then?" Hyunjin scoffed, crossing his arms.  
  
“I... We just... We wanted to…” Whatever explanation or defence Changbin was about to make was interrupted by an abrupt blast of music. Irritation crossed Changbin’s features as he reached inside his pocket for his mobile phone. 

* * *

Four figures sat around a long wooden table.  
  
The male sitting at the head of the table was running his hands through strands of his bright red hair, his gaze alternating between the clock hanging on the wall and the door of the meeting room.  
  
The male sitting by his side placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hyung, calm down.”  
  
"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down, Seungmin? I can't believe he did this behind our backs," Bang Chan growled, tapping his fingers impatiently against the smooth surface of the wooden table.  
  
"I'm sure... he had a reason for it," Jeongin spoke up hesitantly.  
  
The door opened then and four sets of eyes turned towards it. Felix sauntered into the room with a tray of mugs, humming softly and seeming oblivious to the tensed atmosphere in the room. Walking around the table, he placed a mug of coffee in front of each seat with a gentle smile. Once he had completed his task, Felix placed the tray aside and took his seat.  
  
“Only you would be able to remain calm in a situation like this, Lix.” Bang Chan sent Felix a small smile before shooting a glance towards Minho who was sitting on his other side. The usually quirky and noisy male had not spoken much since they caught wind of the news from Jisung.  
  
Felix gazed into his mug of coffee. “I know we all agreed not to interfere anymore but honestly, I can’t blame Changbin-hyung. It’s just… Things just aren’t the same without him.”  
  
Jeongin wrapped his arms around Felix’s body and snuggled into the other’s neck. “We all feel the same way, hyung.”  
  
“Even if we all miss him, that doesn’t excuse Changbin’s actions. He should have at least discussed things with us before acting,” Bang Chan sighed.  
  
The door crashed open, colliding heavily into the wall. Jisung strode into the room, his grip tight around the collar of Changbin’s jacket. Once both of them were inside the meeting room, Jisung roughly shoved the older into his seat before releasing his grip on the other.  
  
Under regular circumstances, Changbin would never have allowed himself to be dragged around by Jisung. But this was not regular circumstances.  
  
Jeongin got up from his seat to shut the door. He wasn’t the only one to get up from his seat. Minho had stood up as well and was slowly advancing towards Changbin.  
  
“Minho-hyung…” Felix called out nervously. Minho didn’t respond, his sight fixed only on the person he was walking towards.  
  
As Minho came to a stop in front of him, Changbin tensed. He was half-expecting for a fist to be swung right into his face but surprisingly, Minho managed to hold himself back.  
  
“Why did you do it?” Minho’s tone was frigid.  
  
Changbin quietly pulled out a piece of folded paper from his pocket and shoved it into Minho’s hand. Minho’s eyes were still locked with Changbin’s as he unfolded the piece of paper.  
  
“What the fuck is this?”


	6. Chapter 6

After checking the caller ID on his phone, Changbin had visibly paled and excused himself to answer the call.  
  
Hyunjin had merely nodded and tried his best to conceal his annoyance at the interruption of their conversation. He fidgeted with his hands, impatiently waiting for the other to be finished with the phone call so that they could resume their conversation.  
  
The sound of footsteps could be heard and Hyunjin looked up, expecting to see Changbin returning. It wasn’t Changbin but another familiar figure that stepped into the room. The strange male from earlier who had run away from Hyunjin. “Where’s Changbin-hyung?”  
  
The other’s demanding tone grated on Hyunjin’s nerves and despite knowing where exactly Changbin was, Hyunjin shrugged nonchalantly. Changbin chose that moment to be done with his phone call and re-entered the room. “Jisung?”  
  
“Changbin-hyung,” Jisung said through gritted teeth, his hands clenching and unclenching as he glared at the older male. Hyunjin glanced between the two of them curiously.  
  
“Jisung, I…” Jisung didn’t seem interested in whatever Changbin was about to say, quickly covering the distance between them and grabbing the collar of Changbin’s jacket. Hyunjin leapt to his feet, his heart pounding in his chest as he took a step closer to the pair, ready to intervene and stop the fight if needed.  
  
“Jisung, calm down.” For someone who was having his collar grabbed by another, Changbin was awfully calm. “Not here please, Jisung…” Changbin glanced over Jisung’s shoulder, staring right at Hyunjin. Hyunjin was still hovering about anxiously, wondering if he should interfere after all.  
  
Jisung followed his gaze, meeting Hyunjin’s eyes before quickly looking away again. “Fine. Let’s take it outside. We have to head to the meeting room anyway. Everyone’s waiting.”  
  
“Wait, what about me?” Hyunjin took a step forward. He didn’t really want to be involved in whatever the two were fighting about but he didn’t want to be left alone in the penthouse on his own again.  
  
The fabric in Jisung’s grip twisted as his fingers tightened around it. “You and your pretty face can get lost!” Jisung snarled.  
  
With that said, Jisung dragged Changbin by the collar out the doorway, slamming the door shut behind them. Hyunjin flinched instinctively at the loud noise.  
  
Hyunjin’s legs were shaky and he sat back down heavily on the couch. Jisung’s words were stuck in his head, cruelly rewinding again and again. He shouldn’t have been that affected by the words of a person he didn’t even know but Hyunjin felt unexplainable tears well up in his eyes. He pressed the heel of his palm to his eyes, taking deep breaths in an attempt to rein in control over his emotions.

* * *

When the meeting ended, Changbin was the first out of the meeting room. He had left Hyunjin alone for far too long and it made him feel uneasy. Even if there was no chance for the younger to escape with the high level of security around the penthouse.  
  
Felix was right at his heels, calling out to him and Changbin slowed to let the other catch up with him. “Hyung, wait up. I’m coming with you.”  
  
“Are you sure, Yongbok?”  
  
“We’ve already come to a decision. If we are going to be living in the penthouse together, we can’t avoid him forever,” Felix replied. “Besides, I knew and didn’t stop you. I won’t let you have to do this alone, Binnie-hyung.”  
  
Changbin nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Instead, he slipped his hand into Felix’s, giving the other’s hand a small squeeze.  
  
As the pair entered the penthouse hand in hand, not a single movement or sound could be detected. The setting of the sun had plunged the penthouse into complete darkness. Changbin frowned as he flicked the switch for the light.  
  
“Where did Hyunjin-“ The rest of his question was muffled behind Felix’s hand as the other male pressed his hand over Changbin’s mouth.  
  
“Shhhh,” Felix hissed. It took a moment for Changbin to release why Felix had shushed him.  
  
Hyunjin was curled up on the couch, his head pillowed on a white cushion. The position he was in didn’t look particularly comfortable but nevertheless, it didn’t seem to bother Hyunjin since he was deeply asleep. He hadn’t stirred even the slightest bit when Felix and Changbin had entered, his chest rising and falling in slow rhythmic motions.  
  
The pair quietly approached the couch.  
  
“He’s still the same as always,” Felix whispered, a fond smile on his lips. Releasing his grip on Changbin’s hand, Felix went to sit on the couch, taking great care not to jostle Hyunjin even though he knew that the other male wouldn’t wake easily.  
  
Bending over Hyunjin, Felix’s gaze swept over the features of the other, drinking in the very sight of him. He sighed softly and unable to resist, traced the back of a finger along Hyunjin’s jaw. The feel of warm and soft skin beneath his fingers placed a misty look in his eyes which Felix quickly blinked away.  
  
“Yongbok!” Changbin warned in a low whisper. “You’ll wake him up.”  
  
Felix shook his head as his finger traced higher up Hyunjin’s face, brushing over the other’s cheekbones. “He won’t wake up even if an earthquake happened right now. You know that, hyung.”  
  
The skin on Hyunjin’s cheeks was still slightly damp to the touch and it was like someone had punched Felix straight in the chest. “He cried…” The anguish was plain in Felix’s broken whisper.  
  
“Yongbok…” Changbin stepped closer and placed a hand on Felix’s shoulder.  
  
Hyunjin shifted in his sleep, his hand moving to push hair out of his face. Changbin and Felix instantly froze.  
  
As the seconds passed and Hyunjin didn’t wake up, the pair finally released the breath that they were holding.  
  
“Come, Yongbok. Let’s clean up the room before waking Hyunjin up.” Felix took Changbin’s outstretched hand, allowing the older male to pull him to his feet.  
  
After taking one last long look at the sleeping figure on the couch, Felix followed Changbin further into the penthouse.


	7. Chapter 7

“…jin? Hyunjin?” Hyunjin awoke to the sound of his name being called. He attempted to open his eyes but quickly squeezed them shut again when the bright lighting hurt his eyes.

“It’s time to wake up, Hyunjin.” The gentle, low voice was calling out to him once again.

Hyunjin forced himself to keep his eyes open, allowing his vision to slowly adjust to the light. The surroundings soon became recognisable to him and Hyunjin realised that he must have fallen asleep on the couch of the penthouse. It was a surprise to him since he wasn’t usually able to fall asleep in foreign places yet the homely feel that the penthouse gave him managed to easily lull him to sleep.

A figure settled on the couch next to him and Hyunjin startled, not having noticed the other’s presence in his sleepy state.

“Sorry for startling you.” Hyunjin’s bleary eyes could barely pick out the male’s ash-blonde hair and cute freckles.

“It’s… it’s alright.”

“You were sleeping so soundly I almost didn’t want to wake you up.” Hyunjin flushed after hearing that.

“Cute.” The other’s sweet smile and compliment made Hyunjin’s heart flutter as he sat up on the couch, looking around for any signs of Changbin’s presence. After all, he had not gotten to finish his conversation with Changbin. “Looking for Changbin-hyung?”

Hyunjin nodded. The other male reached out to comb his fingers through Hyunjin’s hair, adjusting and tidying up the mussed-up strands of blonde hair. Hyunjin tensed up at the intimate action and noticing it, the male pulled his hand away with a sheepish expression.

“Changbin-hyung is just finishing up the cleaning. We have an extra room that you can use tonight. It might be a bit dusty but I’m sure you’ll like the room.” The other got up, giving Hyunjin more room to get off the couch.

Hyunjin hastily tidied his clothes and hair, trying his best to look less like he had just woken up from a nap. Faced with the other male’s angelic features and poise, Hyunjin couldn’t help feeling slightly shabby in comparison.

“Are you hungry? I’ve made some pasta for dinner and included your share.” Definitely an angel, Hyunjin decided as he nodded in response. He hadn’t gotten a chance to eat anything at all given his extremely eventful day and his stomach was rumbling lowly.

“What’s your name?” Hyunjin asked, voice still slightly raspy from his nap.

“Ah,” the other laughed, rubbing at his neck awkwardly. “I guess I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Felix.”

Hyunjin followed Felix through the penthouse and into the penthouse’s kitchen, passing by a corridor with multiple doors on each side. Hyunjin counted eight doors.

Before the kitchen even came into view, Hyunjin could already smell the aroma of food. His stomach started grumbling embarrassingly louder.

Felix looked back at him, giving him a small wink. “I’m glad I made plenty of food.”

It hasn’t even been five whole minutes since they have met and Felix had somehow managed to make him blush twice already. Hyunjin cupped his burning cheeks in his hands.

Felix gestured for him to take a seat at the dining table in the kitchen and Hyunjin picked a seat at random near the window, looking around the kitchen interestedly. Turning around with two plates of pasta in his hands, Felix stopped short.

“Is something wrong, Felix?” Hyunjin tilted his head. “Do you need help?”

Felix snapped out of whatever trance he was in and shook his head. “No, it’s alright.” He placed a plate of pasta in front of Hyunjin and the sight of the food was sufficient to distract Hyunjin from Felix’s strange behaviour.

As Felix finished setting the table for three, Changbin strode into the kitchen. “Yongbok, I finished cleaning the room. Hello again, Hyunjin.”

“Yongbok?” Hyunjin blinked up at the two other males. “Hello, Changbin.”

“It’s Changbin-hyung for you,” Changbin corrected as he joined them at the dining table.

“Yongbok is my Korean name,” Felix explained, pouring out glasses of ice water for all three of them. “You can call me Yongbok if you prefer, or Felix. I don’t mind either.”

Hyunjin didn’t speak, too busy stuffing pasta into his mouth. The pasta was delicious and for someone who had been starving the entire day, it was practically a feast. “This is really good, Felix,” Hyunjin commented after swallowing another huge mouthful of pasta.

“Thank you. There are seconds if you want more. You can eat slowly, the food isn’t going anywhere,” Felix laughed.

Hyunjin was the only one who went for seconds. It seemed that Felix and Changbin weren’t that hungry and the former was only too happy to serve him the rest of the pasta he had cooked.

Filling his stomach was his priority and in between practically inhaling the pasta, there was little time to think. Therefore, it was not Hyunjin’s fault that it didn’t occur to him until he had polished off all the food.

“Changbin-hyung? How did you know that I was younger than you?”

Changbin choked on the sip of ice water he was drinking, water spilling down the front of his shirt. Felix immediately grabbed some paper towels off the kitchen towel to help clean up the mess that Changbin had made. “Thanks, Yongbok.”

“You’re so clumsy, Binnie-hyung. It’s a good thing we have the kitchen towels always at the ready for when you spill something.” Felix shook his head in exasperation.

Hyunjin couldn’t help but burst out laughing. When Changbin had first walked into the penthouse decked out in his all-black outfit with his leather jacket, boots and snapback, he had seemed so cool and chic, even somewhat dark and scary. Who would have known that he would have such an endearingly clumsy side to him?

Changbin glared at him. “You can stop laughing now,” he huffed as he got up from his seat to place his emptied glass and other dishes in the sink. Felix got up to do the same, ignoring Hyunjin’s protests and clearing away the other’s dishes for him as well.

Hyunjin only laughed harder when Changbin managed to drop his fork and nearly drop everything else in his hands on the way to the sink.


	8. Chapter 8

Fourth door on the left. It was the last room on the left side of the corridor. The room next to his was Changbin’s and the room opposite belonged to someone named Jeongin whom Hyunjin had yet to meet. Felix’s room was the second on the right.  
  
That was the information that Felix had helpfully supplied as he and Changbin showed Hyunjin to the room he would be occupying.  
  
The furniture in the room matched the rest of the apartment, simple with a touch of elegance. Everything looked spotless, probably from Changbin’s efforts in cleaning.  
  
“Thank you for cleaning the room and for letting me stay here tonight,” Hyunjin said as he turned to Changbin.  
  
“It wasn’t much,” Changbin replied dismissively with a grin. “Well, I’ll let you get some rest for now.”  
  
“About earlier-“ Hyunjin started.  
  
Changbin raised a hand to stop him from continuing his words. “We’ll continue our conversation tomorrow.”  
  
Hyunjin nodded reluctantly. Wishing him a good night, both Changbin and Felix left the room. Hyunjin could hear their footsteps as they walked back down the hallway.  
  
His suitcase had already been placed in the room, right next to the bed but Hyunjin ignored it for the moment, choosing to slump onto the bed instead. The sheets felt extremely soft as Hyunjin pressed his face into it.  
  
Dinner was an… interesting affair. Despite his constant efforts to stay on his guard and maintain his dislike of the other males, it had felt so easy, too easy in fact, to fit in with them as they sat around the dining table, sharing jokes and teasing Changbin. He was starting to enjoy Felix and Changbin’s company more than he should and Hyunjin detested that.

He shouldn’t be feeling like he belonged here.  
  
And of course, he hadn’t failed to notice the absence of the other occupants of the house. Changbin and Felix had mentioned having a single spare bedroom. That meant that all the other rooms Hyunjin had counted must have been occupied. There had been five other rooms and Hyunjin had also counted five other chairs at the dining table.  
  
In that case, where were the other five occupants of the penthouse?  
  
Hyunjin’s head was starting to hurt. He had so many questions and no answers to any of those questions.  
  
Lying on his side, Hyunjin glanced at the wall right opposite the bed. An unsettling feeling resonated within him and he found himself averting his eyes away from it as he quickly reached for his suitcase to unpack instead.  
  
Hyunjin didn’t really plan to stay for longer than one night and decided to unpack only the necessities. Once he had finished unpacking, he headed for the bathroom to wash up.  
  
In his haste to pack up and escape the house earlier today, Hyunjin hadn’t remembered to pack any of his soap, lotion or even his toothbrush and toothpaste. As he peeked into the small bathroom adjacent to the room, he hoped that Changbin or Felix had remembered to stock it up. He would hate to have to bother them for supplies.  
  
Thankfully, the bathroom was fully stocked up. Picking up and examining the various colourful bottles, Hyunjin was pleased that they were all in brands he preferred.   
  
After quickly washing up, Hyunjin settled in front of the vanity in the bedroom. Brushing his hair was a nightly routine ingrained into him. Pulling the brush through his hair from root to tip and easing away all the accumulated knots and tangles was a soothing process he always enjoyed. As he brushed his hair, Hyunjin looked downwards and noticed a drawer embedded into the vanity.  
  
There was a lock on the drawer but Hyunjin gave it a tug anyway. He really should not be snooping about but he figured it wouldn’t do too much harm. People didn’t usually store things of value in a spare bedroom.  
  
Like he had expected, the drawer didn’t budge.  
  
As Hyunjin got into bed, the locked drawer remained in his mind. For all he knew, it could be empty or it could contain nothing of consequence. But the thing about having a curious mind was that the more he didn’t know, the more he wanted to know.  
  
In the myths, wasn’t that exactly why Pandora’s box was opened?  
  
Despite his confused and conflicted state of mind, Hyunjin still managed to fall into an easy, peaceful slumber that night.

* * *

Seungmin stirred at the touch of soft cotton against his skin. Blinking his bleary eyes, he noticed Jeongin standing over him, covering his torso with a navy cotton blanket.  
  
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up.” It was impossible to be mad at that sweet, innocent face.  
  
Seungmin shook his head, straightening up from the chair. “It’s fine.” His neck was sore and stiff from having fallen asleep in the chair and he massaged at it, trying to loosen the tensed muscles.  
  
“You’re not going back to the penthouse?” Jeongin asked as he pulled up a chair next to the other.  
  
Seungmin shook his head again. “I don’t think anyone else will be going back tonight except Changbin-hyung and Lix.”  
  
Jeongin looked around the office. Jisung and Minho had fallen asleep on the office couch, the younger of the two with his head on the older’s lap. Meanwhile, the door to the 3racha office was shut tightly but light peeked through the seams at the base of the door. It seemed that Bang Chan intended to hole himself up in his office and put another all-nighter.  
  
“We all have to go back to the penthouse eventually. That’s where we live, for goodness sake. There’s a limit to how long we can put things off.” Jeongin let out a long sigh.  
  
Seungmin gave him a hard look. “Then why didn’t you go back to the penthouse with Changbin-hyung and Lix?”  
  
A bitter chuckle slipped out of his lips. How could he have forgotten how perceptive Seungmin was? Jeongin slumped in his chair. “I’m… afraid.”  
  
Seungmin moved closer, placing his arm around Jeongin’s shoulder. “Of Hyunjin?”  
  
“Of… seeing him.” Jeongin closed his eyes. “I don’t know how to face him.”  
  
“I don’t think anyone of us truly knows.”  
  
“No.” Jeongin shook his head violently. “I don’t deserve to face Hyunjin-hyung.”  
  
Seungmin cupped Jeongin’s face in his hands. “Don’t say that, Innie. Even if he remembered, Hyunjin would never blame you. He loved you so much.”  
  
Opening his eyes, Jeongin was met with the sight of apparent worry written all over Seungmin’s face. The blatant show of concern was what did him in. The remnants of his composure collapsed and Jeongin started sobbing. Seungmin immediately pulled him into his embrace, tucking the other’s head into his chest as he patted the younger’s head.  
  
“It’s okay, Innie. Everything’s okay,” Seungmin coaxed.  
  
“It’s all my fault. If it wasn’t for me, Hyunjin-hyung wouldn’t have… He wouldn’t have…” Jeongin was babbling in between choked sobs.  
  
Seungmin held onto the youngest, soothing him with coaxing words. The broken cries continued a long time into the night before Jeongin ran out of strength to continue weeping.

* * *

Arms wrapped around Changbin’s body. From just the touch alone, he could already recognise the owner of those arms.  
  
“Not sleeping yet, Yongbok?”  
  
He could feel Felix shaking his head against his back. “I’m not that sleepy yet.”  
  
A thoughtful silence before Felix spoke up again. “Binnie-hyung… Hyunjin… He doesn’t have his memories, right? He couldn’t have gotten them back somehow, right?”  
  
Changbin turned to face Felix. “No, he doesn’t remember. Why do you ask?”  
  
“It’s just…” Felix hesitated. “Earlier at dinner, did you notice where Hyunjin chose to sit?”  
  
“He…” Changbin tried to remember. His eyes widened as the memory came to him. “Oh. He sat at his own seat even though he shouldn’t have remembered it.”  
  
“Exactly,” Felix nodded. “It wasn’t even the closest seat and he walked all the way around the table just to take his own seat. Is it possible that he remembered something?”  
  
Changbin shook his head. “He couldn’t have remembered. It was probably just… a coincidence, Yongbok. Let’s not think too much into it.” He ran his fingers through the other’s hair gently.  
  
Felix didn’t look convinced but nodded anyway. “I guess it doesn’t really matter whether Hyunjin remembers or not. The most important thing is that he’s home now.”  
  
“Our little prince has finally come home."


	9. Chapter 9

“Good morning, Minho-hyung!” Felix chirped from the stove as Minho made his way into the kitchen. “I didn’t hear you come home last night.”  
  
“I didn’t. I just came back a few minutes ago with Jisung.”  
  
Minho peeked at the food that Felix was preparing. Ham and cheese sandwiches with some fresh, healthy salad on the side. “Will the two of you be staying for breakfast?”  
  
“Sure, Lix. I’ll never turn down breakfast if you were the one who made it.” Minho gave Felix a light pat on the head, eliciting a delightful smile from the other.  
  
“Where’s everyone else?” Changbin asked, eyes glued to his phone screen.  
  
Minho snuck a slice of ham into his mouth and was immediately shooed away by Felix. “Hyung! If you eat all the ham, we won’t have any left for the sandwiches.” With an exasperated laugh, Minho relented and went to join Changbin at the dining table, taking his usual seat.  
  
“Chan-hyung still hadn’t emerged from his office when I left. He was in there for the entire night. Nothing new really. Seungmin and Jeongin… “Minho trailed off.  
  
Hearing the hesitation in Minho’s voice, Changbin looked up from his phone and leaned forward. “Did something happen?”  
  
Minho cast a glance in the direction of the rooms. “Hyunjin?” He questioned.  
  
“This is Hwang Hyunjin we are talking about,” Changbin scoffed. “He won’t be awake this early.”  
  
“Innie had a breakdown at the office last night.”  
  
“Innie?!” Felix exclaimed loudly as he set down the plates of food on the dining table. “What happened?”  
  
“I’m not exactly sure… I only caught a glimpse of his puffy eyes afterwards,” Minho sighed.  
  
“Do you think it’s because of Hyunjin?” Changbin asked worriedly.  
  
“It could be,” Felix nodded thoughtfully. “You know how Innie has always blamed himself for that incident.”  
  
The three chewed on their breakfast quietly, lost in their own thoughts.  
  
“Should I go get Hyunjin and Jisung? Their food will get cold.” Felix eyed the two untouched plates of food.  
  
“Jisung said he was going to take a shower. He will probably be out soon. I’ll go wake Hyunjin for you.” Minho got up slowly from his seat.  
  
“I can do it, Minho-hyung. Or Changbin-hyung can,” Felix offered.  
  
“Don’t worry about it, Lix. We can’t avoid him forever. I’ll have to get used to things. Besides…” Minho’s gaze was fixed in the direction of Hyunjin’s room. “…I wanted to see for myself how much he has changed since the last time we saw him.”  
  
“He barely changed. He’s still the same Hwang Hyunjin.” Felix’s smile was wistful. “Our Hwang Hyunjin.”

* * *

Felix was right. That was the first thought that came into Minho’s mind as he stared down at the sleeping beauty lost in his own dreams. A sleeping Hyunjin was always a sight to behold, resembling an ethereal angel sent down from the heavens.  
  
The same alluring blonde hair, the same unblemished porcelain skin, the same plump irresistible lips.  
  
Nothing had really changed.  
  
If Minho wanted to fool himself, he could just tell himself that nothing had changed. Hyunjin was back with them, safe and sound. They were all united once again as eight.  
  
But tempting as it was to fool himself with pretty lies, it would not change the facts of history. What happened had happened. Nothing could change the fact that Hyunjin’s memories would probably never be recovered again.  
  
Minho took a few steps closer to the bed. “Hyunjin?” He hadn’t really expected a response given how deeply Hyunjin slept. Knocking on the door earlier had been nothing more than a futile attempt.  
  
He reached out to shake the other on the shoulders. “Hwang Hyunjin, wake up!” The other gave a small groan, flipping onto his side and continuing his slumber.  
  
The frustrated feeling was familiar. Minho sighed before tugging on the sheets tangled around Hyunjin’s torso. “Wake up, Hyunjin!” Perhaps he should have left the job up to Felix after all.  
  
Minho succeeded in tugging the sheets away from Hyunjin and the cold got to work, slowly waking him up. Through half-closed eyes, Hyunjin peeked up at the person who had interrupted his beauty sleep.  
  
No matter how much he had braced himself, the lack of recognition in those eyes staring up at him still pained him.  
  
“Felix made breakfast,” Minho informed as he tossed the sheets back onto the bed. “Hurry up before the food gets even colder.”  
  
Having completed what he needed to do, Minho left the room with his heart in tatters.

* * *

In his half-awake state, Hyunjin thought that the male standing next to his bed was a figment of his dreams. After all, there was no reason why someone so beautiful would be waking him up. The male’s sharp features and perfect angles illuminated by the golden sunshine peeking in through the windows made a divine sight.  
  
Only after the unknown male had left his room did Hyunjin properly wake up and come to his senses. He let out an embarrassed groan into his pillow, aghast that yet another stranger had caught him in his sleep-dishevelled state.  
  
Also, what was it with the occupants of the penthouse and their ridiculous attractiveness?  
  
Hyunjin rushed through his morning routine in a frazzled manner, not wanting to let the breakfast that Felix had prepared come to waste. Having washed up, he headed out of the room and darted down the corridor towards the kitchen.  
  
Haste meant mistakes.  
  
The first door on the right opened and Hyunjin, not having expected that at all, crashed right into the person exiting the room. His chin collided painfully against a shoulder and he let out an involuntary yelp of pain.  
  
Of course, it would be Jisung.  
  
“What the heck?!“ Jisung rubbed at his shoulder. “Watch where you’re going!”  
  
“You’re the one who needs to watch where you’re going,” Hyunjin spat back.  
  
“What did you say? Are you implying it’s my fault that you crashed into me?”  
  
“I’m not implying anything. If you’re interpreting that from my words, maybe it’s because you recognise that as the truth.”  
  
Jisung visibly snapped at those words. Before he knew it, Hyunjin’s back was slammed heavily against the wall and he was pinned by Jisung’s arms on either side of his head. A startled cry slipped from his lips.


	10. Chapter 10

Completely caught off guard, Hyunjin didn’t know how to react. Thankfully, their raised voices had attracted the attention of the other occupants of the house and soon, arms were gripping onto Jisung, pulling him off Hyunjin.  
  
“Calm down, Jisung.” Changbin had his arms around Jisung’s torso to restrain him.  
  
Felix stepped closer, tilting Hyunjin’s face in various directions to check for any injury. “Did you get hurt?” Hyunjin shook his head, eyes still fixed on Jisung warily.  
  
“What happened here? Jisung?” It was the male who had woken him up earlier.  
  
Jisung pulled himself free from Changbin and stormed into his room, slamming the door behind him. Changbin and Minho exchanged glances before the latter knocked on Jisung’s door and entered.  
  
“Well, since no one is hurt, everything’s fine. Come, let’s go back to breakfast.” Felix’s smile made Hyunjin think of the pure and radiant sunshine. The very sight of it made the tightness in his chest ease up.  
  
Hyunjin nodded and allowed Felix to grab him by the wrist to lead him into the kitchen where his breakfast awaited him.

* * *

“Jisung?” The lump beneath the blankets didn’t move an inch. Minho sat down beside the younger on his bed. “What happened?”  
  
No response or acknowledgement came his way. “Should I go?”  
  
A hand crept out from beneath the blankets, hooking around his wrist. “Don’t go.” Jisung let the blanket slide off him and he sat up, folding his legs beneath him as he hugged Minho from the back.  
  
“It really… wasn’t a big deal.” Jisung’s shoulders were slumped. “I was going out of the room and Hyunjin collided into me. I guess… I got mad at him and we kind of quarrelled.”  
  
“I heard from Changbin that you had a quarrel with Hyunjin yesterday too.”  
  
“It wasn’t really a quarrel. It was… just a disagreement.” Jisung had lowered his head and was toying with the frayed ends of Minho’s shirt “It’s just really difficult. He looks at me like I’m some stranger and I guess to him, I technically am. But he’s not a stranger to me. He’s the same Hwang Hyunjin that I’ve known since we were kids. It’s like everything’s the same but different and I hate how it makes me feel.”  
  
Minho quietly reached out, placing his hand on Jisung’s thigh to comfort the younger.  
  
“He’s still as beautiful as ever,” Jisung sighed. “He keeps appearing in front of me and being so ridiculously beautiful. I don’t know how to deal with it. I don’t know how to react, hyung. Hyunjin probably thinks I’m really stupid.”  
  
“I’m pretty sure that he had always thought that.”  
  
“Hey!” Jisung shot him an indignant look.  
  
Minho shifted closer to the other, placing his arm around Jisung. “Jisung?”  
  
“Hm?”  
  
“Do you remember when you first met Hyunjin?”  
  
“How could I forget?” Jisung’s eyes took on a faraway look. “He was so aggravatingly beautiful. We never got along at all and were constantly at each other’s throats. All of you were so exasperated with the two of us and... Oh.” He looked up at Minho, mouth agape with bewilderment. “I guess Hyunjin and I are acting the same way now as we used to when we first met.”  
  
Minho nodded, a fond smile on his lips. “Exactly. No matter what the rest of us did, the two of you would never stop picking fights with each other. But in the end, both of you managed to resolve your differences and got along, didn’t you?”  
  
“But…” Jisung flushed. “…it’s not as though I can use the same method to make things up with Hyunjin like I did before.”

* * *

“They’ll be fine,” Felix spoke up. “You don’t have to worry about them.”  
  
Hyunjin averted his eyes away from the direction of Jisung’s room. “I’m not worried.”  
  
“If you say so.” Changbin placed his phone back in his pocket. “Well, if you are done with breakfast, how about I show you around the casino before it opens?”  
  
“Show me around the casino? Why would you want to do that?”  
  
Felix and Changbin exchanged glances. It was the latter who responded to his question. “How would you like to work for us at the casino, Hyunjin?”  
  
“You want me to work for you at the casino?” Of all the scenarios Hyunjin had thought of, this was out of his expectation. He was at the mercy of their every whim and yet they chose not to exploit him but simply put him to work at the casino? It felt too good to be true and Hyunjin didn’t buy it. “What’s the catch?”  
  
“There is no catch. It just so happens that we could use a pair of extra hands around the casino and you need a place to live. I think it’s a fairly good trade.” Changbin raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
“You literally own me,” Hyunjin spat. “You could do anything you want with me.”  
  
Felix shook his head, clearly upset. “But we won’t. Not to you, Hyunjin.”  
  
Hyunjin leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “Whatever. It’s not like I actually have a choice.”  
  
Changbin sighed heavily. “Your choice matters here, Hyunjin. If you don’t want to work at the casino, no one will force you.”  
  
“Right. You’ll just sell me off or do something worse instead.”  
  
“No!” Changbin tugged at his hair in frustration. “We’re not going to do anything bad to you.”  
  
“Sure.”  
  
Changbin pinched at the bridge of his nose, inhaling a deep breath. “Hyunjin, you need a place to live and a way to earn some money for yourself. We’re offering you our spare room and a job. Why are you so against it?”  
  
Hyunjin’s eyes flashed in anger as he got up from his seat. “And what of my freedom?”  
  
Felix got up from his chair as well, placing his hand on Hyunjin’s shoulder.  
  
“Don’t touch me!” The moment after he had whipped his head around and saw the crushed look in those gentle eyes and the trembling of the other’s hand as he withdrew it, Hyunjin regretted those words. His hand lifted, almost as though to take Felix’s hand in his own but at the last moment, he withdrew it, letting his hand fall to his side.  
  
“Changbin-hyung and I can show you around the casino first, Hyunjin. You don’t have to make any decision just yet until you’ve had a chance to properly look around. But really, it’s not so bad of a deal.” Felix smiled but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You’ll basically just be taking on a part-time job. Outside of working at the casino, you can still do whatever you want. Nobody will stop you from doing what you want, Hyunjin. Nobody can stop you anyway.”  
  
Hyunjin’s gaze drifted from Felix to Changbin and then back to Felix again. He nodded quietly.


	11. Chapter 11

Hyunjin trailed behind Changbin and Felix as they made their way down to the second floor. The elevator led to a corridor that resembled the one on the third floor. While the third floor only had a single door, there was a single black door on one side of the second floor and three glass doors on the other side.  
  
Changbin and Felix brought him through the black door first. The dimly lit room they entered had a huge table within, covered by a black velvet tablecloth. As Hyunjin stepped into the room, the sweet fragrance of roses filled his nose.  
  
“Welcome to the backroom. This is where private games between the guests and owners are held.” Felix gestured about the room as he explained.  
  
“I heard that if someone wins a game against one of the owners of the casino, they can have their deepest desire granted. So if I can win a game of cards against either one of you, I can have my deepest desire granted?” Hyunjin lifted an eyebrow dubiously.  
  
“You’ll need an invitation to play,” Changbin said simply. “Not just anyone can saunter into the casino and even from among those who come to the casino, not everyone gets a chance to play in the backroom.”  
  
“Who decides on the people to invite to the casino?”  
  
“The eight- I mean, seven of us do.” At Felix’s slip of the tongue, Changbin flashed him a warning look.  
  
Changbin placed a hand around Hyunjin’s shoulder as he guided the younger towards the doorway on the other side of the room. He tugged the black mesh curtains out of their way and they stepped through the doorway, finding themselves at the top of a long flight of stairs.  
  
“What do you think?” Felix asked from behind.  
  
Hyunjin took in the scene in front of him. Down the long flight of stairs was the vast and spacious main room of the casino. It was immensely bright, arrays of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Casino tables were arranged strategically, chairs neatly organized around them. At the moment, there weren’t any guests, just a few employees going about to perform some basic preparation and cleaning duties.  
  
Yet, Hyunjin could almost hear the clinking of casino chips and the sound of cards being shuffled and dealt.  
  
“It seems... unnaturally quiet.”  
  
“We do open the casino during the day sometimes but mostly, we open in the evenings. It can get pretty noisy during operating hours,” Changbin shrugged.  
  
“I see,” was all Hyunjin said as he continued to gaze at the casino room in front of him. At the small kingdom built on winning and losses, interlinked with triumph and despair, that now lay deadly silent beneath his feet.  
  
Changbin reached out to tap him on the shoulder. “That’s it for the tour of the casino for now. Let’s get back to the penthouse. Felix is on duty in the backroom tonight so he’ll need to start getting ready for work.”  
  
They went back the way they came from, through the curtains, the backroom and the black door. Changbin and Felix started in the direction of the elevators.  
  
“What’s behind these doors?” Hyunjin eyed the three glass doors on the other side of the corridor.  
  
“Staff offices, the owners’ offices and the pantry.”  
  
The glass door in the middle was pushed open and a figure emerged from within, hands tightly gripping onto a coffee mug. From beneath tousled red locks of hair, the sleepy look within the pair of dark eyes vanished instantly as the other male took in the sight of Hyunjin standing in the middle of the corridor.  
  
“Chan-hyung! What a coincidence!” Changbin laughed nervously as he hurried to put himself between Hyunjin and the other male.  
  
“This is Bang Chan. He’s one of the owners of the casino too, alongside Changbin-hyung, Jisung and me,” Felix explained before turning to Bang Chan. “Chan-hyung? Did you pull another all-nighter again?”  
  
Bang Chan nodded. “I had… quite a bit of work to finish up.”  
  
Felix grabbed the coffee mug from Bang Chan’s hands. “You really should stop that habit, it’s not good for your health. You need more coffee, right? I can make some more for you.” Felix stepped towards the glass door on the far right and quickly vanished into the pantry.  
  
Despite Changbin standing in between them, Hyunjin had no trouble sneaking glances at Bang Chan. When his gaze met the other’s, Hyunjin quickly looked away, turning his gaze towards the floor as his heart pounded in his chest. When Bang Chan’s gaze pulled away from him, Hyunjin was back to staring.  
  
Changbin glanced between them before awkwardly clearing his throat. “Hyunjin?”  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“Could you maybe be a little less obvious when checking out Chan-hyung?”  
  
“I wasn’t!” Hyunjin flushed instantly, shaking his head furiously in denial while Bang Chan just chuckled.  
  
Felix returned with a steaming mug of hot coffee, handing it over to Bang Chan. “Here you go, Chan-hyung!”  
  
“Thanks, Lix. I’ll be getting back to work then.” Still smiling to himself, Bang Chan returned into the office.  
  
“What was Chan-hyung laughing about?”  
  
“It was nothing!” Hyunjin rushed to answer. He placed his hands on Felix’s shoulder, gently shoving him in the direction of the elevators. “Let’s go back. You said that you had to work tonight?”  
  
Changbin was right behind them, his loud laughter echoing in the corridor.

* * *

Bang Chan set the mug of coffee on the table after a small sip. Coffee always tasted so much better when Felix made it for him.  
  
He settled in his office chair, turning to the documents laid out on his desk. Pages after pages of guest logs were spread out on the wooden surface. Bang Chan picked up the page that he had pulled out from the logs earlier.  
  
It was dated for the day before. The entries were entirely written and recorded in Seungmin’s neat penmanship. Except for one entry.  
  
The entry for guest number fifteen on that day had been amended, a new name filled into the entry and written in Changbin’s cursive handwriting. Underneath the ‘approved by’ column was Felix’s signature.  
  
Bang Chan set the page back into the pile of logs.  
  
Really, Bang Chan should be furious at Felix and Changbin for going behind all their backs and pulling such a stunt. He really should have gotten mad at them for amending the records without permission and pulling Hyunjin back into their lives. Especially after they had all agreed to let Hyunjin live his life and not interfere with it anymore.  
  
But how was he supposed to get angry when the only thing that occupied his mind was the image of Hyunjin standing in front of him, dark eyes gazing up at him through long lashes and cheeks stained the colour of a blushing rose?


	12. Chapter 12

After eating the dinner that Felix had hastily prepared for them, Hyunjin retreated into his room. He had his earphones in and was curled up comfortably in bed as a drama episode played on the screen of his phone.  
  
At least for the duration of the drama episode, he could forget about his woes momentarily. Just for a while, he could stop being Hwang Hyunjin and walk in someone else’s shoes, experience problems that were not real to him.  
  
Fifteen minutes into the episode, a knock sounded at the door. Hyunjin bit back a whine as he tapped the pause button and pulled off his earphones, reluctantly going to the door.  
  
For a moment, Hyunjin almost didn’t recognise the person at the door. Glittering rhinestones decorated Felix’s eyes, putting a fierce sparkle into those gentle eyes. A black harness went over a white button-up shirt, paired with black pants and chic black boots. The vision of pure sunshine melted away into the seductive night.  
  
Even Lucifer was an angel before he fell from the heavens.  
  
“What do you think?” Felix tugged lightly on the straps of the harness, tightening them so that the straps fit more snugly around his torso.  
  
“You look really good.” Hyunjin’s voice was embarrassingly breathy.  
  
“Thank you.” Felix’s smile was brighter than the light reflecting off the rhinestones. Hyunjin almost couldn’t bear to look anymore. “I didn’t come here just to show off my outfit to you though. That’s only a bonus. How would you like to come and see the magic happen in the casino?”  
  
“Am I allowed to?” Hyunjin didn’t hide his surprise. The mysterious dealings in the backroom didn’t seem to be an open secret privy to just anybody and yet he, a stranger, was about to be let in on it?  
  
“You can stay for one game,” Felix nodded. “So what do you say?”  
  
“Sure.” Of course, Hyunjin was not about to turn down an opportunity to satisfy his curiosity.

* * *

The casino was alive with burning desires.  
  
As he watched people place bets and discuss odds, Hyunjin could almost smell the hunger and greed in the air, tinged with bits of desperation. Human voices, the clattering of the dice, the clinking of the casino chips melted together into the charged, rich atmosphere and pumped his veins with liquid adrenaline.  
  
Changbin followed closely behind him, a silent bodyguard of sorts and allowing Hyunjin to take in the sights at his own pace.  
  
Hyunjin wandered from table to table, pausing beside each casino table to observe the ongoing games. He was neither an expert at cards nor an enthusiast but it was still interesting to watch the hands of Lady Fortune at work.  
  
Hours were spent in that manner, wandering aimlessly through the casino with fervent bright eyes. Hyunjin’s skin felt feverish, almost as though he had just finished an entire marathon.  
  
Throughout the night, guests were escorted to the backroom one after another. Each entered with a heart filled with sincere hope, face alit with possibilities, only to have all hope be crushed, exiting with the weight of despair hanging over them. It seemed that not a single person thus far had beaten Felix at his game.  
  
Fingers closed around his wrist, the touch of skin against skin pulling him back to his senses.  
  
“Let’s go.” Changbin had to lean in close to be heard over the commotion in the casino, his warm breath brushing intimately against Hyunjin’s ear. “Yongbok is waiting for us.”

* * *

The backroom was a place where the sunshine did not reach.  
  
Curious gazes and loud gossiping whispers had followed in their wake as Changbin and Hyunjin climbed up the stairs. Mere moments ago, a woman had just been escorted up those same stairs.  
  
When they entered the backroom, the woman had already taken her seat opposite Felix. The dealer was shuffling the cards, the cards slapping against each other the only source of sound in the room. Changbin pulled Hyunjin to the corner of the room.  
  
Felix only spared them a brief glance. Reclining back in his seat, he crossed his legs and nodded towards the dealer.  
  
“State your bet and your desire, Ma’am.”  
  
“I want...” The woman tucked strands of her greying hair behind her ear. “…to have eternal youth.”  
  
“So you want to be young again and never grow old?” The dealer didn’t pause in his shuffling of the cards, his fingers nimbly parting the cards. “And what will you bet?”  
  
“My life and everything I own. Please...” The woman leaned forward against the table, looking at Felix with desperate eyes. “...you can have everything of mine as long as I can be young and beautiful again.”  
  
Felix tilted his head in consideration, the desperation sinking deeper and deeper into the woman’s eyes. “Deal the cards,” he finally said.  
  
“Thank you! Thank you!” Hyunjin watched and waited for the tears welled up within the woman’s eyes to fall but they never did. Instead, the woman blinked them away and with the cards dealt, the pair of desperate eyes took on a look of intense focus.  
  
Hyunjin couldn’t understand and he didn’t think he would ever understand. How could the superficiality of youthful beauty ever be cherished and valued over precious life?  
  
The image of the woman in front of him became indistinct and Hyunjin could almost see the figure of his father sitting in that same chair, in the same position and with the same desperation.  
  
Did his father shed tears when he agreed to bet Hyunjin and everything else he owned to the casino? If he did, were they tears of gratitude at his bet being accepted or did the tears carry his sorrow at having to put his son on the line?  
  
Hyunjin barely noticed how the game went, only realising that victory and defeat had been decided when the woman got to her feet and tossed her cards onto the table with a loud shriek that had Hyunjin flinching.  
  
Changbin moved closer to Hyunjin, eyes full of concern. Hyunjin opened his mouth, wanting to reassure the other that he was alright, merely startled but Changbin’s figure blurred before his eyes, lines and colours overlapping.  
  
Darkness rushed at Hyunjin and then, he was falling…


	13. Chapter 13

Seeing Felix dash into the office with a distressed look, Seungmin had feared the worst. His fear came true when Changbin came through the door after Felix, a limp and unconscious Hyunjin cradled in his arms. Hyunjin’s complexion was deadly pale, his brows scrunched up in discomfort.  
  
“What..? What happened?” Jeongin’s shocked exclamation echoed Seungmin’s own concern.  
  
They both followed the others, gathering around the long couch in the office as Changbin lay Hyunjin onto it. Felix grabbed a cushion and placed it underneath Hyunjin’s head.  
  
“He was watching Felix’s game with me in the backroom and just suddenly fainted.” Changbin glanced up at them. “Should I call the doctor?”  
  
Felix was wringing his hands, a shiny sheen in his eyes. “I don’t know.” Seungmin placed an arm around him for comfort.  
  
Hyunjin whimpered and all of them inched closer to the couch, trying desperately to spot the source of the other’s suffering.  
  
Feeling completely helpless, Seungmin could only grasp Hyunjin’s hand between both of his own, hoping that the warmth of his hands would do something for the other. Hyunjin shifted, his fingers curling around Seungmin’s hands as he let out another heart-breaking whimper.  
  
Those long eyelashes fluttered and Hyunjin opened his eyes.

* * *

The first thing Hyunjin was aware of when he came to was an indescribable feeling of weakness and a fierce pounding in his head. It was like all of his energy had been drained from his body, leaving him completely powerless and vulnerable.  
  
What had happened to him?  
  
Panic started easing its way into Hyunjin’s mind. Forcing his eyes open, he was met with the sight of an unfamiliar figure bent over him, forehead creased with worry.  
  
“Hyunjin-hyung!” With a loud groan, Hyunjin squeezed his eyes shut, tossing a hand over his head at the sudden spike of pain.  
  
“Shhh, Innie.” Recognising Felix’s voice, Hyunjin opened his eyes again and tried to pull himself into an upright position to locate the other. A few pairs of hands instantly reached out to gently push him back into a reclining position.  
  
“You shouldn’t be getting up yet,” Felix chided as he shifted into Hyunjin’s field of vision.  
  
“What happened to me?”  
  
“You fainted in the backroom all of a sudden. Do you remember?”  
  
Hyunjin shook his head. In his feeble state, he hadn’t noticed it earlier but there was a pair of warm hands clasped around his right hand. He glanced up, tracing the pair of hands to its owner. As their eyes met, the owner of that pair of hands released his grip and Hyunjin immediately missed the warmth of those hands.  
  
“Here, I brought you some water,” Changbin announced. A pair of hands helped Hyunjin up into a sitting position as Changbin delivered the cup of warm water to his lips. Hyunjin drank greedily, gulping down the water and Changbin wiped away the water that had spilled down his chin with a piece of napkin.  
  
It was only then that Hyunjin thought to look at the person he was leaning against. Hair in a shade of deep blue framed a petite, innocent face. As adorable as the other male was, Hyunjin couldn’t help freezing up and trying to inch away after discovering that he had been all but leaning against a stranger.  
  
“Are you feeling better, hyung?”  
  
“Y… Yes... much better. Thank you,” Hyunjin mumbled. “Who are you?”  
  
“Oh.” Realisation dawned in those sparkly dark eyes. “I’m Jeongin, the youngest here. And that person over there is Seungmin-hyung.”  
  
Seungmin nodded as Hyunjin glanced over at him.  
  
Changbin placed the back of his hand against Hyunjin’s forehead, checking his temperature. “How do you feel? Should I call for the doctor?”  
  
Hyunjin shook his head. “I’m really feeling much better, hyung. There’s no need for a doctor.” He could still feel a lingering ache but his head had stopped hurting and he could feel some of his strength returning.  
  
“How did the game end?” Hyunjin turned to look at Felix.  
  
“I lost,” Felix admitted with a sheepish smile.  
  
Hyunjin’s lips parted in surprise. “Really? But you didn’t lose a single game earlier.”  
  
“It just… happened.” Felix was avoiding his eyes and Hyunjin wondered why. “Anyway, we should probably get you home so that you can get more rest.”  
  
Hyunjin nodded his agreement. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in his comfy bed.  
  
“Careful,” Changbin urged, one hand going around Hyunjin’s shoulder to support him as the younger slowly got off the couch.  
  
The moment he was standing upright and on his own two feet, a wave of dizziness washed over him and Hyunjin swayed. If it weren’t for Changbin’s support and Seungmin who quickly reached out to help hold him up as well, Hyunjin would probably have crashed into the ground.  
  
“Hyunjin? Maybe you shouldn’t get up just yet.”  
  
Thankfully, the wave of dizziness quickly passed. “No, it’s okay. I’m not dizzy anymore.” Hyunjin tried to assuage Seungmin’s worry with a small smile.  
  
“If you’re sure…” Seungmin didn’t sound particularly convinced.  
  
With Changbin and Seungmin supporting most of his weight, Hyunjin managed the slow journey back to the penthouse. Felix and Jeongin walked on ahead of them, helpfully holding doors and pressing the elevator buttons for them.  
  
All of them had offered several times to carry him instead but Hyunjin stubbornly rejected their offer each time. He was still able to walk, albeit rather unsteadily.  
  
They eventually reached the penthouse and the group escorted him to his room. Hyunjin couldn’t help but notice that Minho and Jisung were nowhere in sight. Changbin and Seungmin settled him into bed, tucking the sheets securely around him.  
  
“If there’s anything you need, please let us know.”  
  
“I will, Felix.”  
  
“Even if it’s in the middle of the night,” Jeongin added. Hyunjin nodded, a faint sleepy smile on his lips as sleep tugged at the edges of his consciousness.  
  
“We’ll let you rest then. Goodnight.”  
  
The words didn’t reach Hyunjin. He was already fast asleep.

* * *

He was falling.  
  
Falling.  
  
“Hyunjin!” “Jinnie!” “Hyunjin-hyung!” “Baby!”  
  
Who did those voices belong to? Who was calling out his name?  
  
Hyunjin reached out a hand towards those voices but his fingers closed around air. And he continued falling.  
  
He fell even further and the voices couldn’t reach him anymore.


	14. Chapter 14

Echoes of morning greetings being exchanged could be heard from within the cosy kitchen as everyone gathered around the dining table. The delicious aroma of eggs and bacon wafted through the room.  
  
Jeongin eyed the empty seat between Jisung and Changbin at the dining table. “Shall I go wake Hyunjin-hyung up?”  
  
“We’ll just let him sleep in for today. Poor baby might still be feeling unwell after yesterday,” Felix commented as he added more bacon into the frying pan on the stove. “I’ll just make something for when he wakes up.”  
  
“I hope he feels better after getting some rest.”  
  
Jisung looked up from his plate. “Hyunjin? Is he unwell? Did something happen?”  
  
“He collapsed in the backroom yesterday.” Changbin reached for the carton of milk and refilled his empty glass. “We were watching Felix’s game and when it just ended, Hyunjin suddenly fainted.”  
  
Felix added the last batch of cooked bacon onto the table before taking his seat. “He seemed really unwell even after regaining consciousness too, all weak and shaky and pale as a sheet.”  
  
“Was he checked over by the doctor?” Minho asked.  
  
Changbin shook his head. “Hyunjin insisted that he was feeling better and didn’t need one. But if he doesn’t feel better today, I’ll call a doctor in.”  
  
“He’s just so stubborn. He barely had the strength to walk and yet he insisted on walking on his own and wouldn’t let us carry him or even get a doctor to look at him,” Seungmin sighed.  
  
“Stubborn is practically Hyunjin’s middle name,” Jisung scoffed. “If he wasn’t so stubborn then he wouldn’t have…”  
  
“Anyway,” Changbin interrupted. “It was quite odd that he fell sick so abruptly. Felix and I were with him for most of yesterday and he seemed perfectly fine up until the moment he collapsed.”  
  
“Maybe…” Minho mused. “He wasn’t sick.”  
  
Jeongin blinked slowly, not understanding what Minho was getting at. “Why else would Hyunjin-hyung have fainted if he wasn’t sick?”  
  
“Felix,” Minho turned to look at the younger. “Hyunjin fainted after the game ended, didn’t he?”  
  
Felix nodded, mouth busy with chewing on a strip of bacon.  
  
“And that game was one that you lost, right?”  
  
Felix nodded again.  
  
“That might have been the cause then.” Bang Chan spoke up for the first time since the conversation topic had begun. “Out of all eight of us, Hyunjin is the only one directly linked to the wish magic of the casino after all.”  
  
“So what you’re saying is, the fulfilment of the wish when the guest won the game drained Hyunjin?” As usual, Seungmin was quick to catch on.  
  
“We don’t know for sure but that is a likely explanation.”  
  
“Then we have to be careful not to let Hyunjin go near the backroom again when the casino is in operation,” Felix said thoughtfully. “We can’t let any harm come to him.”  
  
The others nodded in agreement as they continued with their breakfast.  
  
It was Seungmin who gave in first, getting up from his seat and heading in the direction of Hyunjin’s room. “I’ll just go check on him.”  
  
“Be careful not to wake him up,” Bang Chan called after him.  
  
Seungmin didn’t knock the door, simply turned the knob quietly and pushed it open. He could see Hyunjin curled up within the sheets, still fast asleep. Taking care to walk lightly, Seungmin approached the bed to get a closer look at the other.  
  
It only took one look up-close and Seungmin immediately knew something was off.  
  
Hyunjin’s cheeks were flushed and his face and neck were shiny with sweat. Seungmin placed the back of his hand against Hyunjin’s forehead and immediately pulled back at the feel of the other’s heated skin.  
  
Seungmin quickly ran for the door.

* * *

Hyunjin squirmed in his sleep, tossing off some of the blankets. Bang Chan got up from the chair, going around to the other side of the bed to pull the blankets over Hyunjin’s shoulders.  
  
Jeongin silently pulled the drying towel off Hyunjin’s forehead, wetting it in the basin of water before gently placing it back over the other’s forehead. Seungmin sat at the foot of the bed, his gaze following Hyunjin’s every movement.  
  
“Chan-hyung, if you want to go back to the office to finish up your work, Innie and I can take care of Hyunjin.”  
  
Bang Chan shook his head. “There’s no work more important than our Hyunjin.”  
  
“Isn’t it time for Hyunjin to take his medicine?” Jisung asked in a loud whisper as he wandered into the room. Seungmin, who had been counting the hours, minutes and seconds since Hyunjin’s last dose of medication, nodded in confirmation.  
  
Bang Chan coaxed Hyunjin into an upright position while Jeongin prepared the medication and refilled a glass of water. Hyunjin whimpered at the disruption of his sleep, curling in on himself.  
  
“Hey, sweetheart. I’m sorry to disturb your sleep but you have to take your medication. You can go right back to sleep after taking it, okay?”  
  
Hyunjin whimpered again, wrapping his arms around Bang Chan’s torso and pressing his face into the other’s chest. Bang Chan couldn’t resist a soft chuckle at the younger’s adorable affection.  
  
“Hyung, you have to take your medicine.” Jeongin approached with the prescribed pills and a glass of water. Hyunjin pulled away slightly from Bang Chan to look up at Jeongin, dark eyes hazy and unfocused from his fever.  
  
Jeongin fed the pills to Hyunjin’s lips before carefully holding the glass of water to the other’s lips. Hyunjin complied obediently, loosening his grip on Bang Chan to allow the youngest to feed him the medication and water. Once Jeongin had wiped off Hyunjin’s lips, Bang Chan settled Hyunjin back onto his bed and Seungmin helped to pull the sheets over Hyunjin again. Jisung hovered anxiously in the background.  
  
As Seungmin was pulling back, Hyunjin suddenly grabbed the sleeve of his shirt. “H… Hyunjin?”  
  
“D… Don’t… go.” Despite the hoarseness of his voice, everyone in the room had no trouble making out Hyunjin’s words.  
  
“I’m not going anywhere, Hyunjin,” Seungmin promised, brushing his fingers over Hyunjin’s knuckles.  
  
Hyunjin released his hand, letting it fall back limply onto the bed as his eyes fluttered close. “All of you… Don’t…. Don’t leave me again…”  
  
Four pairs of eyes exchanged astonished looks amidst the stunned silence.


	15. Chapter 15

He was freezing and his entire body hurt. He was only vaguely aware of warm skin against his own and the sound of familiar voices.

Images drifted to the front of his mind.

_Felix bending over him with a piece of cloth. Jeongin holding a glass of water to his lips._

_Jisung holding a stalk of rose in his hands. Minho entwining their fingers together._

_Bang Chan patting him on the head. Changbin pressing a kiss to his lips._

_Seungmin sitting by his side beneath the starry night skies. His mother wrapping a scarf around his neck._

And then, Hyunjin knew that he was dreaming. Because one can only see their dead mother in their dreams.

* * *

The first rays of sunlight broke the dark skies, streaks of golden across dreary dark blue.

Minho felt his consciousness slipping from him as his heavy eyelids closed involuntarily. His head nodded forward and the sleeping figure in front of him was replaced by darkness.

He'll just close his aching eyes and rest for a bit, he promised himself.

After all, Hyunjin's fever had finally broken after three long and tormenting days. Even if he closed his eyes for a few minutes, Hyunjin would still be alright.

At that thought, Minho forced his eyes open again. The steady rise and fall of Hyunjin's chest and the peaceful expression on his beautiful face eased the knot in Minho's chest.

The entire penthouse was deadly silent, a rarity in itself given how some of the occupants would usually still be awake at even the wee hours of the morning. However, taking turns to keep watch over Hyunjin at all hours in addition to keeping up with their usual workload had taken a toll on all of them. Minho had barely managed to convince the others to try to get some rest while he kept watch alone and made sure that Hyunjin's fever didn't return. Still, he was fairly certain that if he checked on a few of the others, he would catch them in their rooms still wide awake and busy at work.

Minho's head drooped again, darkness embracing him. The few minutes he promised himself dragged on, his sense of time lost in the welcoming arms of sleep.

* * *

It didn’t take a genius to realise what had happened. The basin of water and packets of medication on his bedside as well as the towel placed on his forehead were enough for him to fill in the gaps and realise what must have occurred.

What he couldn’t really figure out, was why Minho was snoozing in a chair by his bedside. Had the other been keeping watch over and taking care of him throughout the night? Hyunjin’s heart gave a tight squeeze at the thought.

He retrieved his mobile phone from the bedside table and tried to switch it on. The screen remained blank no matter how many times Hyunjin pressed down on the power button and he figured that the battery was probably dead. He slid out of bed, limbs all weak and wobbly as he connected his phone to its charger.

When he first awoke, he had found himself wrapped in several layers of blanket. Gathering one of the blankets at random, he carefully covered Minho’s sleeping torso with it. Minho didn’t stir in the slightest.

Taking slow and measured steps, Hyunjin made his way to the bathroom. A hot shower did wonders, washing away the grime and grease that had accumulated on his skin, invigorating and refreshing him. When he came out of the shower, Minho still didn't show any signs of waking up so Hyunjin left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

The penthouse appeared mostly silent as Hyunjin headed for the kitchen. He helped himself to a bottle of water from the refrigerator, uncapping it and guzzling down half of the bottle's contents.

"Hyunjin?"

Startled, Hyunjin choked around a mouthful of water, coughing and spluttering. Bang Chan reached out to rub at his back soothingly.

“Sorry for startling you.”

Hyunjin shook his head. “It’s fine. I was just a little surprised."

Bang Chan smiled, placing his hand against Hyunjin’s forehead. “Good. It seems like your fever has properly broken.”

“Thank you…” Hyunjin flushed. “…for taking care of me.”

“I’m just really glad that you’re all better now. Everyone was really worried about you over these three days.”

“Three days?” Hyunjin’s lips parted in shock.

Bang Chan nodded. “You were running a really high fever for three days straight. Do you… remember anything from those three days?”

Hyunjin tilted his head in confusion. "I don't remember anything. Did I… do something?"

"No," Bang Chan was quick to deny. Too quick. "You didn't do anything."

The last thing Hyunjin could recall was being tucked into bed by Changbin and Seungmin. After that, his memory for the past three days resembled nothing more than a blank slate.

Except for… "Actually…"

"Yes?" Bang Chan prompted.

Hyunjin shook his head, dismissing the thought. "Never mind."

"You know… if there's something bothering you, you can always come to-"

"Hwang Hyunjin!" Bang Chan's words were interrupted by the arrival of Minho. The loud yell had Hyunjin instinctively taking a couple of steps backwards.

"Minho-hyung?"

"I closed my eyes for just a few minutes and you disappeared. Should you even be up and about? Get back into bed and rest, you brat!"

"Huh?" Hyunjin blinked. "I've fully recovered, hyung. Besides, you were asleep for more than just a few minutes and I was getting thirsty."

"Well, you had your drink." Minho tugged the bottle from his grasp and placed it on the counter. "Back to bed you go, brat."

Minho started shoving Hyunjin in the direction of the bedroom. Hyunjin tossed a look towards Bang Chan, a clear plea for help. Bang Chan just shrugged before retrieving a bottle of water from the refrigerator for himself, a small smile on the corner of his lips.

What a betrayal.

"But Minho-hyung," Hyunjin protested loudly. "I'm feeling perfectly fine. Also, stop calling me a brat."

"I'll stop calling you a brat when you stop acting like one."

No matter how much Hyunjin complained and whined, Minho didn't relent and Hyunjin eventually found himself back in bed and forced to rest for the rest of the day.


	16. Chapter 16

Hyunjin turned towards the door when it opened after a brief knock, a pout ready on his lips. Changbin closed the door behind him as he stepped into the room.

"Seems like you're not enjoying Minho-hyung's concern for you."

"He's basically holding me prisoner," Hyunjin whined. "My fever broke yesterday and he's still keeping me on bed rest. Every time I try to leave the room, he comes and drags me back into bed. At this rate, I might never be able to leave my room until I'm like… fifty or something."

"What a drama queen," Changbin laughed, seating himself on Hyunjin's bed. "Minho-hyung is just worried about you."

"I know and I really appreciate it but I'm really all better now. Everyone can stop being so... overprotective now."

He hadn't been left alone for more than mere minutes since waking up yesterday. About five times every hour, Hyunjin found himself having to reassure the various individuals checking on him that he had completely recovered from his illness. Even during the night, Felix and Jeongin had invited themselves into his bed, snuggling up to him in their sleep. While he did find the others' concern very touching, Hyunjin was also feeling bored to death at having to stay in his room all day.

Hyunjin tugged on the sleeve of Changbin’s shirt, moving closer to the other. “Can’t you talk to Minho-hyung for me? He really doesn’t listen to me at all.”

“And you think Lee Minho would listen to me?” Changbin brushed away a few stray strands of hair that had fallen into Hyunjin’s eyes, tucking them gently behind the other’s ear.

A memory of a figment from his dream came rushing to the surface of his mind and Hyunjin’s cheeks felt warm.

“Ji-“ Changbin cleared his throat. “Hyunjin, are you sure you are really feeling better? Your cheeks are a little red.”

Hyunjin quickly nodded, using his hand to fan himself. “It’s probably just… too warm in here.”

Changbin nodded slowly. “Anyway… I came here to talk to you about something.”

“What is it about, hyung?”

“Have you made a decision yet?”

“About?”

Changbin laughed. “About working at the casino.”

“Oh.” Even though it only took place a few days ago, the conversation they had before felt like it had occurred eons ago. “I…”

“It’s alright if you haven’t decided. I just thought I would ask anyway,” Changbin reassured him, playfully reaching up to poke his cheeks.

“Ah, hyung!” Hyunjin batted the other’s hand away.

“You’re just too cute, Hyunjin.” Changbin sighed and ruffled his hair. “I really wish you would stay.”

“You really want me to stay?”

“Of course. But what matters isn’t what I want. It’s what you want.”

Hyunjin looked into Changbin’s eyes before looking away again. “I… I think I’ll stay.”

“R… Really?”

Hyunjin just nodded.

The next moment, he let out a surprised yelp as Changbin pulled him into his arms. The embrace felt like home, all warm and soothing and Hyunjin couldn’t help melting into it. He closed his eyes and took a subtle whiff of the other’s scent. He could smell the light fragrance of roses intertwined with the other’s natural scent.

Vaguely, he wondered where Changbin had gotten his rose-scented cologne and where he could get some for himself.

“I’m really glad you decided to stay, Hyunjin.”

* * *

Minho’s hand was resting on the doorknob and he was just about to pull open the door when it was pushed open from the inside. A small crack was revealed and he could see wisps of blonde hair peeking out from within the room.

Hyunjin scanned the corridor but didn’t seem to notice Minho standing right behind his door. The door was pushed open further until it bumped right into Minho. Hyunjin pushed against the door again but Minho stopped the door’s movement with his hands.

Poking his head out, Hyunjin finally noticed Minho behind the door. With a high-pitched shriek, the younger fell on the ground, clutching his chest. “What- Minho-hyung, you scared me!”

Minho pulled the door open and stepped inside. “Oh? And may I ask, what were you trying to do? Surely you couldn’t be trying to sneak out, right?”

“Me? Sneak out? I would never!” Hyunjin looked up at him with guileless eyes. If Minho hadn’t caught the other red-handed, he might have ended up believing him.

“Back to bed you go, brat.”

“Ah, but hyung! I’m so bored staying in my room all day.”

“You just recovered so you need all the rest you can get.”

“I’ve already rested way too much. At this rate, I’m going to…“ Minho didn’t care for Hyunjin’s rambling, placing one arm around the younger’s back and the other below his knees before lifting him up.

“Minho-hyung! Put me down!” Hyunjin instinctively wrapped his arms around Minho’s neck despite his plea to be released.

“Sure, I’ll put you down.” Minho lowered Hyunjin onto the bed.

Having expected Hyunjin to release his grip around his neck, Minho was caught off guard when the younger continued clinging to his neck as he was pulling away. He ended up stumbling and falling right onto the other.

“I’m so sorry! Did I crush you?!” Minho quickly scrambled to get off Hyunjin.

Hyunjin shook his head and simply pulled Minho back towards him, snuggling up to the older male and laying his head against the other's chest. “I’m fine. But since hyung insists on keeping me a prisoner here, the least you could do is keep me company.”

Minho wondered if Hyunjin could hear his heart racing from within the confines of his chest.

Hyunjin sat up abruptly. Minho thought the other would move away but Hyunjin shifted closer until their faces were only mere inches apart. Minho's heart skipped a beat.

"Wow," Hyunjin exhaled, his warm breath fanning over Minho's face. "Hyung is really handsome even up close."

Minho almost fell onto the ground in his mad rush to get away from Hyunjin. He tidied his clothes, brushing off invisible lint before heading for the door to make his escape.

“Minho-hyung? Where are you going?” Minho could hear the confusion in Hyunjin’s words.

Minho didn’t look back as he made his hasty retreat from the room.


	17. Chapter 17

Hyunjin stood in front of the pot of roses in the living room, inhaling the rich fragrance emitting from the roses. With his eyes closed and an alluring smile on his lips, the beauty of the roses was no match for Hyunjin.

Felix was so enthralled by the sight that he almost forgot what he was in the middle of doing.

Hyunjin opened his eyes, turning around as he noticed Felix’s presence. The other eyed the bottle of water in his hands. “Watering the roses, Felix?”

Felix fumbled with the bottle, nearly dropping it on his foot. “Yeah.”

“So I take it that this pot of roses belongs to you?”

“Not really. It belongs to everyone in the penthouse. It just so happens that I mostly take care of it.”

“Who brought it into the penthouse?” Hyunjin asked curiously as Felix stepped up to the pot of roses, uncapping the bottle of water and pouring it into the base of the pot.

“Uh… someone else did.”

“That person must really like roses then.”

“He does,” Felix said softly, replacing the cap on the bottle of water.

"But still, that's very dedicated of you to continue taking care of that person's roses."

"I don't do it alone. Everyone helps too. Beside..." Felix's smile was soft and wistful as he gazed down lovingly at the pot of roses. "...if I don't take care of it, I'm sure he will be sad to see his roses being neglected.”

"This person and his roses… they must be really important to you."

"Of course.”

* * *

The door to the office abruptly opened and Bang Chan pulled off his headphones as he watched Hyunjin enter the office with a paper bag in his hands.

‘So this is the 3racha office huh?” Hyunjin gazed curiously around the office. "Ah, sorry for barging in like this. I did knock but you didn't answer."

Bang Chan shook his head gently. “It’s fine.”

Hyunjin set the paper bag on the desk. “Changbin-hyung asked me to bring you lunch.”

“Thank you.” Bang Chan pushed his laptop to one side and tugged the paper bag towards him to examine its contents. He removed the metal lunchbox from the paper bag, opening it to see spam, a fried egg and strips of seaweed generously arranged on steaming white rice. “Have you had your lunch as well, Hyunjin?” Bang Chan asked, removing the utensils from the bottom of the paper bag.

“Hm… I did.” Hyunjin’s distracted tone sufficiently pulled Bang Chan’s attention away from the food displayed in front of him. Looking up at the younger, he followed Hyunjin’s fixated gaze to the panel hanging on the wall next to his desk.

An assortment of keys hung from the panel on hooks. Keys of varying shapes, sizes and colours formed a formidable collection.

“Those are all the original and spare keys to almost everything in the casino and penthouse. We hang them here in the office for easy access,” Bang Chan explained, answering the other’s unasked question.

“Is there a key there to the drawer in my room’s vanity?” Hyunjin wanted to know, his dark eyes scanning the panel as though trying to pick out the key that he sought.

Bang Chan’s heart felt like it had stopped as his gaze instinctively went to a small silver key hanging amidst the collection. The key had been flipped around so Bang Chan couldn’t see the small rose embossed on the front of the key but even so, he had no trouble identifying and picking it out from among the hundreds of keys.

“The key to the drawer in your vanity? I don’t remember ever seeing it. It’s probably… it’s probably lost.”

“Oh,’ Hyunjin said quietly before pulling his gaze away from the panel of keys. His gaze fell on Bang Chan’s laptop next, the spark of curiosity never leaving those dark eyes. “Are you working on another song, Chan-hyung? Changbin-hyung told me a little about how the two of you and Jisung work on music production on the side in addition to running the casino.”

Bang Chan nodded as he took his first bite of food. “Yeah, I’m working on a new song.”

“Write a song for me, hyung,” Hyunjin requested.

Bang Chan choked on the bite of food in his mouth, coughing violently before finally managing to swallow the mouthful of food. Hyunjin patted him on the back, the other’s soft laughter ringing in Bang Chan’s ear.

“I was just kidding, hyung.” Hyunjin’s wide grin was teasing and playful.

Bang Chan didn’t correct the younger, just placed another spoonful of food into his mouth so that he wouldn’t have to say anything else. He was not about to tell Hyunjin about the folder he had in his laptop especially for all the songs he had written for the other.

* * *

Hyunjin awoke with a loud gasp. He pressed his hand against his mouth belatedly, hoping that the sound had not awakened his bed companions. Felix was snuggled up against his back, his slow breathing indicative of deep sleep. Hyunjin pulled his hand away from his mouth, relief flooding his veins.

On the other hand, there was a decidedly empty spot in front of Hyunjin on the bed. When they had gone to bed earlier, Hyunjin had cuddled up cosily to Jeongin's back but now all that remained of the younger was a lingering warmth on the sheets.

Hyunjin carefully pulled away from Felix, tugging the sheets off him as he got out of bed. He stealthily found his way to the living room, narrowly avoiding bumping into the wall in the dark. Thankfully, his assumption proved accurate and Hyunjin soon spotted the lone figure sitting on the couch, staring out at the starless sky beyond the glass panes of the penthouse’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

The faint glow from a single lit lamp illuminated the otherwise dim room and Hyunjin could see how the youngest was hunched over himself as he hugged his knees tightly to his chest.

Hyunjin moved closer, calling out to the other in a soft whisper. “Jeongin?”

Jeongin whipped his head around, almond-shaped eyes widening in surprise. “Hyunjin-hyung?”

Hyunjin didn’t wait for an invitation, simply seated himself next to Jeongin on the couch. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“I… had a nightmare.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Jeongin’s grip on his knees tightened, hesitation and a shred of fear flashing across his features.

“It’s ok if you don’t want to talk about it, ” Hyunjin continued after several moments of pause as he deliberated whether Jeongin would welcome a hug from him.

“It’s just… it’s really not a big deal.”

“But it must mean something to you if it bothered you enough for you to lose sleep over it.”

“I… I often have nightmares about losing the people I care about the most. It’s just that… I wish I could do more to protect the people I love.” Jeongin spoke slowly, almost as though he wasn’t very sure of himself.

“I think that’s a natural worry that most people will have. After all, no one wants to have the things most precious to them be taken away. Losing the things that they care about the most in the world… that’s not something anyone should have to go through.” Hyunjin decided to forgo his earlier worries, wrapping his arms around Jeongin. Jeongin didn’t react to his touch, merely remained silent as he listened to Hyunjin’s words and allowed the other to hold him. “Although, rather than spending time worrying and agonizing about it, I think it might be wiser to simply cherish and make the most of the time we have with our loved ones. After all, I’m sure you’re already doing the best you can for the sake of the ones you love.”

Hyunjin could almost see the invisible load being lifted off of Jeongin’s shoulders, the younger’s tense demeanour giving way as he relaxed into Hyunjin’s embrace. “I guess hyung can say some smart things sometimes.”

“Hey!” Hyunjin exclaimed in mock outrage. “I’ll have you know that I’m a very intelligent person.”

Jeongin shook his head in exasperation, a fond smile etched on his lips. “In any case…” Jeongin’s voice was quiet as he reached out slowly and tentatively to place his arms around Hyunjin. “...thank you, hyung.”


	18. Chapter 18

Hyunjin walked down the corridor, heading towards the office with a paper bag in his hands.

He spotted Jisung before the other noticed him. Hyunjin was sorely tempted to turn around and hide but there just wasn’t anywhere to hide in the corridor.

Besides, Hyunjin reminded himself, he wasn’t a coward and he wasn’t afraid of Jisung.

Jisung had his eyes glued to his phone and didn’t seem to notice Hyunjin. It was only when they were right in front of each other that Jisung appeared to notice another person’s presence, lifting his head up and spotting Hyunjin.

Hyunjin wordlessly moved to the right, trying to get out of the other’s way. It was at that exact same moment that Jisung chose to take a step to his left and they ended up right in front of each other again, obstructing each other’s way.

“I’m sorry. I’ll… I’ll just…” Flustered, Hyunjin stepped towards the left this time just as Jisung took another step to his right.

And there they were, in the same position that they started with.

Hyunjin could see the frown between Jisung’s brows and the irritation within the other’s eyes. It wasn’t an expression that Hyunjin was unfamiliar with; more often than not in the past few days, it was the only expression that Jisung seemed to have whenever he caught sight of Hyunjin.

“Can you just…” Jisung’s words came out through gritted teeth.

“Sorry. I’ll just… get out of your way.” Hyunjin complied to the unspoken request, stepping away from the other and quickly walking past Jisung who had chosen to remain in his spot.

He scampered off towards the door of the office, but not without a backwards glance.

For some reason, perhaps out of fury, Jisung had his hands pressed over his face and was crouching in the middle of the corridor. Hyunjin was almost tempted to turn back and comfort the other but he knew it would probably only cause a fight.

Jisung was still crouching in the corridor, curled up on himself when Hyunjin pulled open the door and stepped into the office.

* * *

Since he had already decided to stay and work at the casino, Hyunjin figured that it was due time to start unpacking his suitcase. He had been procrastinating it out of sheer laziness but when he found himself having to empty his entire suitcase to find a shirt that he really wanted to wear, he had to admit that it would be more practical to simply unpack and organise his belongings.

Carrying a stack of folded clothes in his hand, Hyunjin made his way to the wardrobe in the corner of the room, tugging the door open. He halted, staring into the wardrobe in confusion.

He had expected the wardrobe to be empty but the opposite proved to be true. Hyunjin set the clothes in his hands aside before rummaging through the wardrobe and examining the clothes in it. Hoodies, sweatshirts, t-shirts, button-up shirts, jeans, sweat pants, formal pants, jackets, cardigans, shorts… Everything seemed typical of a regular wardrobe.

Hyunjin pulled out pieces of clothing, laying them against his body to check their measurements. Most of them fitted him nicely.

Hyunjin glanced at the stack of his clothes that he had left on the bed. While he owned an acceptable amount of clothing, his clothes mostly consisted of casual jeans, sweat pants, t-shirts and hoodies and he didn’t own anything of a more formal nature that might be appropriate for work.

His gaze drifted back to the open doors of the wardrobe as he contemplated for a moment before leaving his room.

* * *

“What are you reading?” Seungmin pulled his novel away from his face and was met with the sight of Hyunjin leaning over the couch, dark eyes brimming with curiosity.

“It’s just a random novel I found in a corner of the house.” Seungmin pulled himself upright from his previous reclining position on the couch.

“Hm…” Hyunjin leaned in closer, his hair brushing against Seungmin’s face as he peered at the back cover of the novel, trying to read the summary. Seungmin could smell the unmistakable delicate scent of roses imprinted on Hyunjin’s skin. “It seems interesting. Can I borrow it after you are done with it?”

“Sure…” Seungmin swallowed, feeling soft silky strands drag across his skin as Hyunjin turned to look at him. “…I’ll pass it to you when I’m done with it.”

“Alright, thanks!”

Hyunjin beamed up at him and Seungmin had to swallow hard again. Using the excuse of placing the novel on the coffee table, Seungmin subtly shifted away from the other, putting some distance between them. “So, what are you up to… Hyunjin?”

“Oh, that’s right. I almost forgot what I came out here to do.” Hyunjin went around the side of the couch, grabbed a cushion and settled down beside Seungmin. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“I was unpacking my things and I found a bunch of clothes in the wardrobe. Do you know who they belong to?”

Seungmin mentally cursed whoever it was who was responsible for preparing Hyunjin’s room for overlooking such an important detail. “They probably belong to the previous occupant of the room.”

“Oh. Then is there any way to contact them and return the clothes?”

Seungmin hesitated before he shook his head. “None. You can do anything you want with them.”

“Really?” Hyunjin scooted closer on the couch. It took everything Seungmin had to not back away. “I can wear those clothes if I want?”

“Yes, go ahead.” Seungmin nodded.

“Lucky for me then! This way, I won’t have to worry about getting new clothes for work. I just hope that I can put together an appropriate outfit for work next week.”

Seungmin tried to recall the contents of Hyunjin’s wardrobe. Hyunjin definitely owned a decent amount of black outfits but most of them were on the fancier and more elegant side rather than simple but formal. After all, as the owners of the casino, they had more freedom in their outfits as compared to a mere casino cashier. “You don’t have to worry too much about that. If you can’t find something suitable to wear, you can always just borrow something. Chan-hyung will definitely be able to find something for you. Have you ever seen his wardrobe? When you open it, you can’t see anything but black.”

“Pfft.” Hyunjin burst out laughing, a shadow of a dimple appearing on one cheek. Seungmin had a very strong desire to reach out and jab that dimple. ” I did notice that hyung seems to wear nothing but black coloured clothing.”

Seungmin gazed at the figure in front of him, feeling a lump welling up in his throat.

Having Hyunjin in front of him, looking at him with those mesmerising dark eyes and laughing carefreely at the jokes he made… Seungmin felt happiness and contentment settling deep within his soul.

Who would have thought that such a day would have come again?

“Seungmin?” It took Hyunjin calling out to him, tilting his head and looking quizzically at him for Seungmin to realise that he had been silently staring at the other for a while.

Seungmin felt his own lips stretching into a smile as he shook his head lightly. “I must have been daydreaming. Anyways, didn’t you mention that you were unpacking? Do you need any help?”

“Well, I’m not about to turn down an extra pair of helping hands.”


	19. Chapter 19

“What kind of song should we make this time?” Bang Chan crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair.

“Another pop song?” Jisung suggested.

“Or maybe we could try something different and write a love song this time.” Changbin sipped on his cup of water. “Chan-hyung would probably be good at it, given how many love songs he has hidden on his laptop.”

“Hey! You’re not one to talk. I know you have an extensive hard drive with songs you wrote about Hyunjin,” Bang Chan retorted. Jisung snickered and Bang Chan turned to the younger. “You too, Jisung.”

Changbin sighed. “Jinnie has all of us wrapped around his little finger and he doesn’t even know it.”

“Says the one who is the most whipped for him,” Jisung laughed.

“Says the one who panics every single time you look at Jinnie. He’s convinced that you hate him, by the way.”

Jisung lets out a loud groan, placing his folded arms on the table and pressing his face into them. “Please, Changbin-hyung. Let’s not talk about that.”

“You really should fix things between the two of you, Jisung.”

“Not you too, Chan-hyung,” Jisung wailed. “What am I supposed to do? Slam him against the nearest wall and kiss him?”

“Well, that worked pretty well the first time around.”

Jisung raised his head from the table to glare at Changbin. “It’s different this time, okay? Our baby doesn’t have any of his memories and I’m practically a stranger to him. If a stranger slammed him against the wall and kissed the hell out of him, he’ll just freak out.”

“You have a point.” Bang Chan picked up a pen from the table, twirling it around idly. “You know, Hyunjin was asking me about the drawer in his vanity table the other day.”

“The drawer in his vanity table? Why would Jinnie be asking about that?”

“He was asking me if I had the key to it.”

Jisung and Changbin turned simultaneously to look at the panel of keys.

“If I remember correctly, it’s the silver key with the rose on it, isn’t it?” Jisung searched through the collection before finding the key he was looking for. He pulled it off the hook, rubbing a finger over the rose carved onto it. “Isn’t this the one?”

Bang Chan nodded. “I told Hyunjin it was lost.”

“Why?” Jisung hung the key back in its place before turning to look at the older male with an uncomprehending look.

“Don’t you remember what Jinnie kept in that vanity drawer?”

“Oh.”

“It’s a good thing we decided to keep the key here…” Bang Chan gestured to the panel of keys. “…instead of leaving it in the room.”

“Yeah,” Jisung nodded. “I can’t imagine what would happen if he managed to open the drawer.”

“No matter what, we’ll just have to make sure that Jinnie doesn’t find out.”

* * *

Felix’s eyes lit up when Minho walked into the living room. He was evidently not whom Felix was waiting for, the other’s smile dropping when he realised that it was only Minho who had walked into the living room.

“That response just breaks my heart, Yongbok.”

“Sorry, hyung. I was hoping it would be baby. I mean…” Felix shook his head at the slip of his tongue. ”…Hyunjin.”

“Given how much the two of you have been hanging out in the past week, I don’t think Hyunjin-hyung would be too surprised if you started calling him baby as you always did,” Jeongin commented. The youngest was slumped on the couch, dressed in formal black pants and a black silk button-up shirt with a V-shaped neckline. A simple black choker hung loosely around his neck.

“I don’t know how Jisung and Changbin-hyung managed to not make any slips of the tongue,” Felix sighed.

“Well, if Jisung doesn’t talk to Hyunjin, he can’t make any slip-ups.” Minho settled into an armchair. “And I think Changbin seems to have given up. I overheard him saying Jinnie instead of Hyunjin yesterday and Hyunjin didn’t seem to mind at all.”

“I really don’t think Hyunjin-hyung would mind if you called him baby.” Jeongin got off the couch. “Well, I think I’d better go check on your baby. If he took any longer to get ready, we’re going to be late for work.”

Jeongin had only taken two steps away from the couch when he stopped in his tracks, his gaze trained on someone standing behind Minho. Minho figured that it was about due time that Hyunjin made his appearance. Being fashionable late was one thing but being late for work on the first day didn’t exactly make a good impression. He turned around in the armchair, prepared to scold the younger for his tardiness.

Minho didn’t expect to have the wind knocked out of him at the mere sight of Hyunjin.

Hyunjin was wearing a form-fitting casual suit, neatly buttoned up. It showed off his long, slender figure and gave him an aristocratic air. His blonde hair was tied into a messy half-up ponytail that bounced with every step he took as he walked into the living room. Instead of leaving strands of his hair around his face to frame it, Hyunjin had opted to tuck his hair behind his left ear to show off his shiny golden ear cuff.

It wasn’t the first time Minho had seen Hyunjin all dressed up. In fact, he had seen Hyunjin in even fancier outfits. Still, the other never failed to take his breath away. And, judging by the silence behind him, Felix and Jeongin were in a similar predicament.

"I'm sorry for taking so long. The braids in my ponytail took a little longer than I had expected since I'm not very good at braiding. I really wanted to look nice for my first day at work though."

"It's fine. You look really good," Minho managed to say.

"Really?" Hyunjin readjusted the jacket of the suit before smoothing down the front of it. "You don't think it's too much?"

"Not at all. I think you look perfect. Right, Felix? Jeongin?" His simple compliment painted Hyunjin’s cheeks bright pink, the other's plump lips curving into an adorable shy smile.

How someone could look simultaneously ridiculously hot and adorable as heck was beyond Minho's understanding.

"Y… Yeah." Jeongin nodded.

"You look amazing," Felix added.

Minho vaguely wondered whether Hyunjin was just that oblivious or the other was simply choosing not to comment on the dazed looks on Felix and Jeongin's faces.

"All of you might want to head down to the casino soon if you want to settle Hyunjin in before it opens for the night," Minho suggested.

Felix blinked, snapping out of his daze. "You're right, hyung. We should get going."

"Good luck with your first day at work, Hyunjin."

"Thanks, hyung."


	20. Chapter 20

Jisung peeked out from behind the pillar. It wasn't hard to spot Hyunjin, the other's blonde hair distinguishing him from most of the crowd at the casino even if Jisung's gaze hadn't been instinctively drawn to him.

Hyunjin stood behind one of the casino's counters, engaged in conversation with a customer. The customer passed a wad of cash over to Hyunjin who counted it carefully before loading some casino chips onto a tray and handing it to the patron with a bright smile.

The sight lifted the weight off Jisung's chest and he exhaled deeply.

A tap at his shoulder had him jerking away violently, stumbling and crashing into the pillar. Jisung rubbed his shoulder as he scowled at Felix. "You scared the heck out of me, Lix."

Felix laughed, placing an arm around Jisung's shoulders. "And what were you doing here, Jisung? You don't usually come to this part of the casino."

"I just… thought I'll come here for a change and… maybe find some inspiration for a new song." Jisung rubbed at his neck.

"You either really suck at lying or think I'm a fool. Come on, Jisung. I've known you since forever. You absolutely hate crowds so there's no way you would come here to seek inspiration. If you are here, it would be either for business reasons or…" Felix glanced at the figure behind the casino counter. Hyunjin had a cute little frown between his brows, concentrating hard on counting out casino chips into a tray. "...for our precious baby over there."

"Alright," Jisung sighed. "I'll admit it. I just wanted to check on him, okay?"

"Of course. It's only natural for us to worry about him even if we know that he is perfectly capable."

Jisung nodded, eyes still locked on Hyunjin's distant figure.

Felix shoved a cup of iced coffee into his hand. "Here. I was going to give this to him but I think you can do it instead. Maybe if you actually managed to interact properly with him, you can stop pining after him and staring at him with that longing look in your eyes."

"Is it that obvious?" Jisung asked, feeling self-conscious.

Felix just patted him on the shoulder in response.

The walk towards the casino counter was plain nerve-racking. Jisung felt his stomach flutter with every step as he kept his eyes trained on Hyunjin, waiting for the other to look up from the computer he was typing on and notice him but the other never did. Even when Hyunjin finally tore his gaze away from the computer screen, his attention was quickly diverted to the customer he was attending to. Jisung felt almost disappointed.

Before he knew it, he was already next to the casino counter.

"Excuse me, you'll have to get…" Hyunjin turned to him, blinking rapidly as he recognised Jisung. "Jisung?"

Jisung took a deep breath and fought to keep his expression casual.

It was a simple task. All he had to do was deliver coffee to Hyunjin. He just had to place the cup of coffee down and talk to Hyunjin a little, that's all.

"H… Here." Jisung mentally congratulated himself on not spilling the coffee as he placed it down on the counter.

Hyunjin lowered his gaze to the cup of coffee before staring at Jisung. "For… for me?"

Jisung bit back a sarcastic comment, merely giving a stiff nod in response.

"Thank you, Jisung." The smile that Hyunjin gave to the customers was nothing compared to the smile that he sent in Jisung's way. Jisung could feel his composure cracking as his hands started shaking.

Jisung nodded again before turning around and walking away. He managed to refrain from running, walking shakily back to the pillar where Felix was waiting for him.

Felix immediately leapt on him with a crushing hug. "You did great!"

"I didn't mess it up!" Jisung punched the air triumphantly.

"Now you can go ahead and proceed with tradition."

"Lee Yongbok! I'm not about to go slamming him into a wall and kissing him just yet."

"Just yet, huh?"

Jisung blushed.

* * *

The curtains parted and Felix walked into the back room. Jeongin uncrossed his legs, straightening up in his chair.

“Are we set to go?”

“Almost. Hyunjin’s just tidying up some stuff. How were your games today? Lost any games?” Felix smoothed down the velvet tablecloth, straightening it.

“Not a single one,” Jeongin grinned. “I probably just got lucky though. I’m still nowhere near Chan-hyung, Changbin-hyung and Jisung-hyung’s level.”

“Not everyone can be as merciless and dominating at cards as the three of them. You’ve already improved a lot, Innie.”

The mesh curtains fluttered before they were pushed aside as Hyunjin stepped into the room.

“Thanks, Lix-hyung. “ Jeongin lifted himself off the chair. “Shall we go home?”

Hyunjin and Felix nodded in unison.

“How was your first day at work, hyung?” Jeongin asked as they exited the back room and headed down the corridor towards the elevators.

“I messed up once by miscounting the number of casino chips and giving the wrong number of them to a customer but I managed to fix it afterwards. Other than that, I think everything else went pretty smoothly. The job itself is fairly manageable.”

“And I’m sure the customers love you too. I’m pretty sure I saw someone slip you their number on a slip of paper.”

“No! I mean…” Hyunjin waved his hands frantically, clearly flustered by Felix’s words. “They did but I threw all of them away.”

“They?” Felix raised an eyebrow. “I only saw one person giving you their number but I guess there must have been more than one who did that.”

“Hyunjin-hyung sure is popular,” Jeongin teased.

“It’s not like that! I mean… It doesn’t really matter. It’s not like I want their numbers. I’m not interested in any of them.”

“Really? So who are you interested in then?”

Hyunjin kept his eyes trained to the floor. “No one. No one at all.”

Jeongin and Felix exchanged amused glances behind Hyunjin’s back.

Felix placed an arm around Hyunjin’s shoulder. “So… I thought I saw Jisung at the casino earlier.”

“Jisung-hyung? At the casino? And on his day off? Are you sure you didn’t mistake someone else for him?”

“It… It was Jisung. He came over to pass me a cup of iced coffee.” Hyunjin glanced at Felix and then Jeongin. “Does he not go to the casino often?”

“Jisung-hyung doesn’t like crowds so he usually avoids the casino. Even when he is on duty, he tends to stay in the back room and he almost never ventures out into the main room,” Jeongin explained.

“And yet he went all the way out of his comfort zone to deliver coffee to you." Felix pressed the button for the elevator.

Hyunjin tucked his hair behind his ear, his fingers trailing over his golden ear cuff. “I guess… I guess maybe Jisung doesn’t hate me after all.”

“I guess so,” Jeongin laughed, stepping into the elevator as it arrived. The other two were right behind him. “But what about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you hate Jisung-hyung?”

The elevator doors closed as Hyunjin shook his head. “No, I don’t. I think… he’s cute.” The last word was uttered in the softest whisper, barely audible over the hum of the elevator’s motors.

“Hm… is that so?” Felix leaned into Hyunjin’s space, his eyes gazing straight into the other’s. Hyunjin’s cheeks coloured, his lips parting to release a sharp exhale. “Jisung’s cute but you know who else is cuter?”

“W… Who?” Hyunjin’s tongue darted out, licking at his dry lips.

“You.”

The elevator arrived at their floor and the doors slowly pulled open. “Felix?” Changbin arched an eyebrow at the sight in front of him.

Felix licked at his own lips, his tongue gliding slowly over his bottom lip as he pulled away from Hyunjin. “Hello, Changbin-hyung.”

“What are you doing, Yongbok?”

Jeongin was shaking his head as he stepped off the elevator and walked past Changbin towards the penthouse. Felix laughed, taking Hyunjin by the wrist and tugging the other out of the elevator. “I was just… having a discussion with Hyunjinnie here.”

Changbin eyed him with a suspicious gaze as he watched the pair walk past him. Felix knew that Changbin didn’t believe his words in the slightest.


	21. Chapter 21

Hyunjin took a sip from the mug of coffee and immediately pulled a face. Daehwi burst out laughing at the other’s dramatic and exaggerated expression of disgust.

“Come on. Don’t tell me you’re actually drinking that stuff? It tastes absolutely horrible.” Hyunjin shoved the mug away from him, resting his chin on the wooden table as he pouted.

Daehwi took a small sip from his own mug, grimacing at the taste of watered-down coffee. “Well, we don’t have a choice. Our break lasts for only thirty minutes since our work shifts aren’t that long and there’s just nowhere else close enough that serves decent coffee. It’s either terrible coffee or no coffee at all.”

“I’ll rather just not drink anything at all then.”

Taking another small sip of coffee before placing the mug down on the table, Daehwi eyed his co-worker slumped on the table in front of him. “Well, where’s your usual cup of iced coffee? I almost always see you with one at work.”

“Felix is too busy to bring me coffee today.”

“Mm, I see.” Daehwi was swirling the mug of coffee idly, not really comprehending what Hyunjin was saying until the other’s words finally hit him and he did a double-take. “Felix… like our big boss, Felix?”

“Yeah.”

“Like Lee Felix, one of the seven owners of the casino.”

Hyunjin nodded, blinking slowly.

Daehwi stared back at him, eyes widening. “Let me get this straight. You are not only acquainted with Lee Felix, but you are also close enough with him to get him to deliver you coffee?”

Hyunjin nodded again.

“Wow,” Daehwi sighed, leaning back in his chair. “I’ve been working here for about two months and I’ve never gotten to even speak with any of the bosses. I’ve only ever heard rumours and gossip about them.”

“What kind of rumours?”

“Well, there were rumours going around about how the bosses are all in a relationship with one another.”

The mug slipped from Hyunjin’s fingers, landing on the table with a loud thump. A small amount of coffee spilled over the edges of the mug. “They are?!” If that was true, a lot of things would make sense but… surely they would have mentioned something to Hyunjin, right?

Daehwi shrugged. “I think someone claimed to have caught some of them kissing in the back room. But well, there’s no solid evidence so it’s all just hearsay.”

“I… I guess…” Distracted, Hyunjin took a large gulp of coffee from the mug before coughing at its taste and shoving the cup away again.

“Oh, that’s right. Before the start of our shift this evening, Sanha was just sharing with me about this rumour he heard from someone else. Apparently, it is a very famous rumour among the staff.”

Hyunjin perked up, leaning in closer towards Daehwi. “Tell me!”

Even though there was no one else in the breakroom at the moment to overhear their conversation, Daehwi leaned in as well, speaking in a low voice. “Apparently, the casino used to have eight owners instead of seven.”

“Eight? Then what happened to the other person?”

“Some say that the eight of them had an argument and that one person ended up leaving because of their dispute. Others claim that there was a tragic accident and he died. No one seems to know the truth. Well, but again, it's just what the rumours say.”

Hyunjin’s heart was racing. It felt like Daehwi had just handed him the piece of a jigsaw puzzle that he never knew he was missing.

The clothes that he had been wearing. The room that he had been staying in. The eight chairs around the dining table. The eight rooms in the penthouse.

Eight.

Maybe… just maybe, the rumours weren’t that far off.

“Hyunjin?” The sound of his name jolted Hyunjin back from the depths of his mind.

He straightened up from his chair with a sheepish smile. “Sorry, Daehwi. I didn’t catch what you were saying.”

Daehwi made an exasperated sound. “I was asking you what the boss is like.”

“The boss…? Oh, you mean Felix?”

“Yes. What is he like?”

“Felix is…” Hyunjin couldn’t help the small fond smile that found its way onto his lips. “…an absolute angel. He’s really nice and sweet, and he takes care of me a lot.” Remembering the sweet endearment that Felix had taken to calling him by, Hyunjin flushed, his cheeks feeling warm despite the strong air-conditioning in the breakroom.

“Seems like someone has a crush on our boss,” Daehwi teased.

“I do not!”

* * *

“Let’s have a movie night!”

At Hyunjin’s spirited declaration, Bang Chan lowered his spoon. “Who’s having a movie night?”

“All of us!” Hyunjin gestured around the table.

Minho raised an eyebrow. “I don’t remember agreeing to a movie night.”

“I just thought it would be fun if all of us gathered together to watch a movie. Everyone’s always… so busy.” Hyunjin pouted, visibly deflating as his shoulders slumped.

Felix beamed up at him. “I think Hyunjin has a good idea. When did we last hang out together as a whole group?”

Silence met Felix’s question. Bang Chan knew what everyone was thinking even if nobody said it out loud.

The last time they hung out together as an entire group was when they were still eight. It hadn’t felt right to get together as a whole after that, with the missing space next to them that felt absolutely glaring.

But now, the missing space had been filled. They were eight again.

“Well, I don’t have any plans for tonight so I would probably be down to watch a movie together,” Minho shrugged. Bang Chan didn’t miss the small smile on the corner of the other’s lips.

Hyunjin’s eyes were positively sparkling as they swept around the table, taking in each person’s nodded confirmation. “So we’re all down for a movie tonight?” The pair of dark eyes landed on Bang Chan, hesitance filling them as the younger realised that Bang Chan hadn’t yet agreed to it.

As Bang Chan slowly nodded, Hyunjin’s plump lips curved into a bright smile. Bang Chan had always been convinced that if they could convert the brightness of Hyunjin’s smiles into light energy, they could power the entire penthouse and casino just based on that.

“Great! I’ll prepare a movie for tonight then!”

* * *

Hyunjin slotted the DVD into the machine before pressing the ‘play’ button. As the familiar Disney logo showed up on the widescreen of the TV, Hyunjin pressed down on the ‘pause’ button.

“Are you guys ready?” He asked, turning around to check that everyone had settled down comfortably in their spots.

Jisung and Felix had squeezed themselves into an armchair, arms and legs tangled so closely with each other that it was hard to tell where each person began and ended. Bang Chan and Jeongin were cuddled up on the floor in front of the couch, wrapped in layers of blankets. Minho was on the far end of the couch, hogging the bowl of popcorn and munching on it. Next to him, Changbin was trying his hardest to grab the bowl from Minho as the older continued holding it out of his reach. Seungmin was on the other end of the couch, diligently messing up Jeongin’s hair with his fingers. Jeongin took his head off Bang Chan’s shoulder to glare at Seungmin with an annoyed look while Seungmin merely laughed.

He didn’t get a response but Hyunjin figured that he didn’t really need one. He started the movie before making his way to his spot between Changbin and Seungmin, hopping enthusiastically onto the couch. Minho passed him the bowl of popcorn and Hyunjin grabbed it, both of them playfully ensuring that Changbin didn’t get to even touch the bowl. Hyunjin took a handful of popcorn before passing the bowl to Seungmin.

“Give me some popcorn too!”

“Shh, Changbin-hyung. I can’t hear the movie.”

“Yeah, you’re too loud!”

As Changbin continued to whine noisily, Hyunjin stuffed some popcorn into the older’s mouth to silence him. Having finally gotten some of the popcorn, Changbin quietened down.

Beneath the blankets draped across their torsos, fingers brushed against Hyunjin’s hands before slipping into his hold. Hyunjin chanced a glance at Changbin, scoffing slightly at the small smirk on the other’s lips.

On-screen, a wall of roses climbed across the landscape, crimson red against deep green. A hand, veiny and wrinkled, reached out and plucked off a single stalk of rose.

“Once upon a time, in a….”


	22. Chapter 22

When a knock sounded on his door, Seungmin had answered without much thought. “Come in.”

The door creaked open, followed by soft footsteps. Engrossed in his writing, Seungmin didn’t look up. It was only when he had finished writing his paragraph that he realised that his visitor had yet to speak.

A brief glance at the dark eyes peering curiously over his shoulder had Seungmin scrambling to slam his diary shut. A wrinkle appeared on Hyunjin’s forehead as the other pouted.

“You… You shouldn’t be looking over other people’s shoulders like that,” Seungmin chided, his voice wavering.

“I was just curious about what you were writing,” Hyunjin complained.

Seungmin fixed the other with a stern look. “Diaries are very private.”

“Fine,” Hyunjin whined. “I’m sorry for trying to peek, Seungminnie.”

“It… it’s okay. Just… just don’t do it again.” Seungmin turned away, slowly stowing his diary away in a drawer as he fought to keep his fluttering heart under control. “So… do you need something?”

“Actually, I have a question. Seungmin… do you… are you…”

Seungmin looked up at the other, watching as Hyunjin twisted and fiddled with a strand of his blonde hair. Noticing the other’s gaze, Hyunjin giggled nervously before tucking his hair securely behind his ear, dropping his hand to his side.

“I just… I just wanted to ask if…”

“If…?” Seungmin prompted.

Hyunjin bit down on his lip before shaking his head vigorously. “You know what? It’s nothing. I uh… I think… I’m just going to go now.”

Seungmin just stared as the other awkwardly retreated and ran out of the room.

* * *

“Are you done with the cucumbers?” Felix asked.

“Uh-huh.” Hyunjin placed the shredded cucumbers into a bowl before passing them over to Felix. “Here you go.”

Receiving the cucumbers, Felix added them into a large metal bowl. As Hyunjin leaned against the kitchen counter to watch, Felix’s gloved hands deftly mixed the various vegetables, noodles and sauces together. “Thank you for helping me out, baby.”

It was a good thing that Felix was too busy with the bowl in front of him to look up and notice Hyunjin’s blush. “It’s… It’s not a problem. You always take care of and prepare food for us. The least I can do is help out a little.”

“Well, I can’t say that I don’t enjoy having you as my assistant,” Felix laughed. Taking a step away from the mixing bowl, Felix glanced around the kitchen.

“What are you looking for?”

“The…” Felix’s gaze fell on something sitting on the counter that Hyunjin was leaning against. “Ah, there they are.”

Hyunjin turned around to glance behind him. “Are you…”

The words died on his lips, his heart stuttering as Felix pressed against him, leaning over him to reach the stack of bowls on the counter. Hyunjin could hear the clattering sound of plastic against plastic as Felix’s fingers closed around them, picking them up. Even as he was reaching for the bowls, Felix’s eyes were locked with Hyunjin’s, a playful glint evident within them.

Hyunjin licked at his dry lips, memories rising to the surface of his mind.

Felix’s gaze drifted down to his lips and the other leaned in even closer. Hyunjin’s knees felt weak and he had to clutch at the edge of the kitchen counter to hold himself upright, his knuckles turning white with how tightly he was gripping onto the marbled counter.

An impossibly short distance between their lips.

“Yongbok?” Startled by the loud call, Felix pulled away and Hyunjin felt like he could finally breathe again. He inhaled deeply, letting fresh air fill his lungs.

Changbin entered the kitchen as Felix went back to his dinner preparation and started portioning the cold noodles he had mixed into smaller bowls to distribute for dinner. “What’s for dinner, Yongbok? Jinnie, you’re here too. Are you helping to prepare dinner?”

Hyunjin pushed past him and fled the kitchen.

* * *

“Here’s your tray of chips,” Hyunjin chirped, smiling brightly at the middle-aged man as he slid the tray of casino chips across the counter.

“Thank you.”

After the customer had left the counter and vanished into the crowd surrounding a nearby casino table, Hyunjin took advantage of the momentary lull in customers to tidy up his work area. He dropped a few pens back into the penholder and placed a few stray casino chips into the drawer. A scrap of paper lay in a corner of the counter and Hyunjin picked it up, unfolding it. A line of numbers came into view and Hyunjin hastily crushed the piece of paper, tossing it into the bin.

As he was rearranging a stack of documents, his vision blurred. His world tilted on its axis and he stumbled backwards.

“Hyunjin?!”

Daehwi’s voice sounded distant and far-off despite the arm that the other had around Hyunjin’s torso, the only thing that was helping him stay upright. Hyunjin blinked dazedly, all his energy concentrated on keeping himself on his feet with his co-worker’s help.

“He doesn’t look too good. Maybe he needs to sit down for a while.” That was Sanha’s voice.

Hyunjin wanted to protest that his shift wasn’t over yet but another wave of dizziness washed over him, cutting off any of his desire to argue against his co-workers.

* * *

Only one row of lights was left on in the breakroom, the location dimmed for Hyunjin’s comfort. A hand was patting his back soothingly, Daehwi’s voice gently reassuring him that everything was fine.

The worst of it seemed to have passed and Hyunjin peeked up tiredly at his co-workers. The sight of his co-workers, worry plastered all over their faces made his chest tighten in guilt.

“Are you feeling better?”

Hyunjin nodded.

Sanha slid his mobile phone to him across the table. “Here, I grabbed your mobile phone for you. Is there anyone you can call to come and take you home or to a doctor?”

Hyunjin lifted his head up from where it had been resting on his arms, picking up the phone with shaky hands. The screen of his phone lit up as he unlocked it, the bright light cutting through the dim room. He pulled up his contact list, his finger hovering over the screen as he deliberated.

Felix was on business away from the casino. Changbin would be on duty in the back room. The others would most likely be at the penthouse, resting or working on various things.

Except…

The office was much closer than the penthouse and there was someone who was almost always there.

It took another few seconds of deliberation but Hyunjin finally made the phone call.


	23. Chapter 23

The door crashed open. “Hyunjin?!”

The panicked voice had Hyunjin instantly opening his eyes and turning towards the direction of the door. “Chan-hyung?” Despite his fuzzy vision, he had no trouble making out Bang Chan’s worried expression.

Somewhere behind him, Hyunjin could hear Sanha and Daehwi whispering although their words were too soft for him to discern what they were whispering about.

As Bang Chan quickly made his way into the room and over to Hyunjin, Sanha got up from his seat and shifted himself one seat away so that Bang Chan could take his vacant seat next to Hyunjin. Bang Chan shot the other a grateful smile before turning his full attention back onto Hyunjin.

“How are you feeling, Hyunjin?”

“Tired,” Hyunjin mumbled, a pout forming on his lips.

Bang Chan reached out to check his temperature with the back of one hand. “Well, you’re not running a fever.” Fingers brushed back stray strands of hair and Bang Chan traced the pad of his thumb over Hyunjin’s jaw. The gentle and soothing caress had Hyunjin leaning into the other’s touch, eyes falling shut.

“I want to go home, hyung.”

“Alright, sweetheart. I’ll bring you home. Just give me a moment to make a phone call, okay?”

Hyunjin nodded. Giving Hyunjin a small pat on the head, Bang Chan excused himself and left the room.

The moment the door fell shut behind Bang Chan, Sanha and Daehwi scooted closer to Hyunjin. “Hwang Hyunjin!” At Hyunjin’s wince, Daehwi hastily lowered his volume. “Sorry! But I can’t believe you!”

Hyunjin blinked slowly. “Believe what?”

“I can’t believe that not only are you acquainted with Lee Felix, but you are also friends with the head of the entire casino, Bang Chan. Are you somehow familiar with all the other owners of the casino as well?”

Sanha shook his head, disbelief colouring his tone when he spoke. “Next you’ll be telling us that you live with the bosses, Hyunjin.”

“I-'' The opening of the door interrupted Hyunjin’s reply and relief washed over him at the timely interruption. As much as he enjoyed his co-workers’ companionship and appreciated all that they have done for him, he didn’t really feel up for a lengthy explanation right at the moment. All he wanted was the comfort of home.

“Let’s get you home, Hyunjin.” Bang Chan wrapped an arm around Hyunjin’s waist, carefully helping the other up from the chair. The pair made their way slowly towards the door, Bang Chan watching over the younger attentively.

At the doorway, Bang Chan stopped and turned around. “Thank you for taking care of our Hyunjin.”

“Y… You’re welcome,” Daehwi stammered while Sanha just nodded, eyes wide.

* * *

“Which one should I pick?” Felix asked, holding up two bottles of perfume.

Jisung scoffed. “They both smell the same to me. Just pick any one of them already.”

“I can’t just make a half-hearted decision! If it’s going to be a gift for baby then I have to make sure to choose the one that he will like best.”

“This is for Hyunjin? Why are you buying perfume for him all of a sudden?”

Felix sprayed some perfume from one of the tester bottles onto his wrist and sniffed at it. “He keeps asking me about the perfume that all of us apparently use, saying that he wants to get some for himself.”

“What? I don’t use perfume. And I don’t think most of the others use it either.”

“We don’t but baby thinks that all of us smell like roses because of some perfume that we use and I’m not about to tell him the truth.”

Jisung picked up a small bottle of perfume from the shelf and examined it. “Well, if he actually paid attention, maybe he’ll realise that we aren’t the only ones that smell like roses. I mean, does he not know what he smells like?”

“I’m sure you’ll know. After all, you absolutely love cuddling with him and sniffing at him.”

“I do not! That’s you!”

“I do love how he smells and I’m not ashamed to admit that like the fool-in-denial you are.” Felix held up the two bottles of perfume again. “So, which one should I get? The white bottle has a more subtle and elegant rose scent while the blue bottle has a richer, sweet scent. They both smell so good that it’s hard to decide.”

“So you’re just getting Hyunjin perfume to make him think that the smell of roses on our skin is a result of perfume, right? Then it doesn’t really matter which one you pick.”

Felix pouted. “But it does matter! Hyunjin has never owned any perfume before. I’m gifting him his first-ever bottle of perfume so it has to be special!”

“Alright. Uh…” Jisung peeked at both bottles of perfume. “How about the white bottle then?”

“You know what? I’ll just get both of them instead.”

Jisung glared at the other. “Why did you even bother asking me then? Geeze.”

“You know you still love me,” Felix grinned, passing one of the bottles to Jisung to hold so that he could slip a free hand into the other’s, interlocking their fingers together.

“Ugh, you’re so lucky that I love you.”

“I love you too! Now let’s go pay for the perfume.”

As they were heading towards the cashier counter, Jisung’s phone went off.

* * *

Felix closed the door behind him before heading to his seat. Jisung had already slid into his seat and was pouring out two mugs of coffee from the coffee pot placed on the table. Having filled up both mugs, he shoved one towards Felix who seated himself next to Jisung.

Felix gave an appreciative hum, lifting his mug to his lips and taking a small sip of the coffee. Glancing around the table as he placed his mug back down, he noticed that someone seemed to be absent.

“Where’s Jeongin?”

“He’s back at the penthouse keeping an eye on Hyunjin,” Seungmin answered.

Felix tilted his head, blinking.

“Hyunjin’s not feeling well.”

“Is he okay? What happened? Is it like the other time?” Jisung asked, leaning forward.

Bang Chan crossed his arms as he let out a small sigh. “That’s the agenda of today’s urgent meeting. Changbin, why don’t you start by explaining what you did today?”

“I…” Changbin squirmed in his seat. “So… I may or may not have deliberately lost a game today?”

“Wait.” Seungmin straightened up in his seat. “You actually lost a game today? But you rarely lose games. And what do you mean when you say that you did it deliberately?”

“I…” Changbin paused, gaze lowered and seemingly unable to look anyone in the eye.

“Spit it out, Seo Changbin.”

“Yes, Chan-hyung.” Changbin winced a little at the other’s brusque tone. “I… uh, the… uh…”

“Stop.” This time, everyone winced at the anger evident within that one word. “I’ll explain instead. Changbin decided to take pity on a patron at the casino today and threw a game so that the patron could fulfil her wish. Isn’t that right, Changbin?”

Changbin nodded slowly, gaze still lowered.

“That’s… That’s why Hyunjin is sick again, isn’t it? He got drained of his energy when the patron’s wish was fulfilled. It… It’s just exactly like last time,” Jisung hesitantly pointed out.

“It seems to be the case.”

“Well,” Seungmin said thoughtfully. “At least we know for sure now that the link between Hyunjin and the casino is still as strong as ever. Maybe even stronger now.”

Bang Chan tapped on the wooden table with one finger. “Which is why we can’t afford to be losing games anymore. No more taking pity on our opponents. No more making of mistakes. We can’t let Hyunjin suffer anymore.”

“What if…” Felix paused. “What if we took Hyunjin away from the casino?”

Silence met his words. Everyone’s gazes were mutedly fixed on the table or their mug of coffee in front of them.

“Is it… Do you think it’s possible that we could accidentally grant a wish so big that we would drain Hyunjin of all his energy?” Seungmin finally broke the tense silence.

“It’s not entirely impossible.” Bang Chan glanced around the table and fixed all of them with a stern look in turn. “From now on, we’re going to protect Hyunjin. That means no more losing games. Am I clear?”

They all nodded.

Bang Chan glanced at Changbin. “You can’t let your emotions get the better of you anymore. Your pity for another will mean hurting Hyunjin.”

“And Felix.” Bang Chan turned his gaze onto the younger. “You need to work on not getting distracted during games. Even if it was by Hyunjin. I know your capabilities are far beyond what you’ve been showing us.”

Changbin and Felix nodded.

Bang Chan leaned back in his chair, fingers rubbing at his temples. “This time, we’ll succeed at protecting Hyunjin.”


	24. Chapter 24

Hyunjin rubbed at his eyes sleepily as he walked out of his room. Tugging a hair elastic off his wrist, he combed his fingers through his hair before tying it up into a small bun at the nape of his neck. Strands of hair fell around his face and he swept them out of his eyes.

He had overslept again.

By this point in time, no one was surprised by Hyunjin’s inability to wake up anymore. The other occupants of the house had given up on waking him up in the morning and would just let him sleep in when there were no plans for the day. Felix had even gotten into the habit of leaving breakfast on the kitchen counter for him to eat whenever he finally woke up.

Not quite fully awake yet, Hyunjin was back to rubbing at his eyes as he walked into the kitchen.

Hyunjin’s gaze immediately went to the two figures standing in front of the refrigerator. He recognised the flaming-red hair instantly although the other person was hidden from view by Bang Chan’s set of wide shoulders.

“Ch-“ The word died on his lips, his fingers going to the edge of the oversized shirt he had slept in and curling around it tightly as his brain finally made out the other person and what the two of his hyungs were doing.

Bang Chan’s hands rested on Minho’s waist, his head tilted at an angle to allow him easier access to the other’s lips. Minho’s arms were wrapped around Bang Chan’s neck, tugging the older closer.

As Hyunjin watched, Bang Chan visibly deepened the kiss, pressing himself even closer against Minho, the other letting out a soft moan in response. If the sight hadn’t had him blushing in a dozen shades of red already, the sound of Minho’s moan definitely set his face aflame.

Seemingly having realised the presence of their audience, Minho’s closed eyes fluttered open, widening once he noticed Hyunjin standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He pulled away from Bang Chan, unwrapping his arms from around the other’s neck before pressing a hand to the older’s chest and lightly pushing him away, his gaze locked on Hyunjin the entire time.

“Hyunjin, wait. Let me-“

Hyunjin didn’t wait for the other to finish his words. His mind in a disarray, he rushed back to his bedroom. His hands were shaking so badly that it took him a few tries to manage the lock. Once the door was securely locked, he slid down against it, dropping down onto the ground.

As Minho and Chan’s voices came to him through the locked door, he placed his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes close. Even behind closed eyelids, he could still see the scene of Bang Chan and Minho kissing against the refrigerator.

His cheeks felt damp and brushing a finger over them, Hyunjin realised that he was crying.

* * *

“Here are the financial reports you need to review, Yongbok.” Changbin placed the stack of documents on the desk in front of Felix.

Felix let out a wail at the new addition to the heap of work on his already overflowing desk. “Binnie-hyung! At this rate, I’m going to die from being overworked.”

Changbin laughed. “You’ve been hanging out too much with Jinnie. Look at how dramatic you’ve gotten. Who was the one who decided to blow off work to go on a date with Jisung in the first place? It was just really bad luck that you got caught by Chan-hyung.”

“I wasn’t going on a date with Jisung. I mean, technically I was… but it was supposed to be a shopping trip to buy a gift for baby.”

“For Jinnie, huh? I bet if you tell Chan-hyung that, he just might let you off the hook.”

Felix considered it for a moment before shaking his head. “I’m not going to do that. If I do, my work will just get delegated to you and Jisung. The two of you are already swarmed with work given how Chan-hyung decided to double all of our workloads as a punishment.”

“It’s fine, Yongbok. I know I deserve it. After all, it was my actions that put Jinnie in harm’s way.”

Felix took both of Changbin’s hands in his. “Hey, are you still feeling guilty about that?”

Changbin averted his gaze but Felix simply placed a finger beneath the other’s chin, tipping his head up to meet his eyes. “Hyung, look at me. I know you didn’t do it on purpose. You just wanted to fulfil the patron’s wish. She wanted to be reunited with her dead lover and you simply granted her wish because you sympathised with her. At that time, we weren’t even certain that the fulfilment of wishes was what led to Hyunjin being sick the first time around. You would never have put Hyunjin in any danger if you knew for sure. After all, you love him so much. I’m sure Hyunjin knows that too. So don’t feel bad about it anymore, okay?”

Changbin nodded, leaning in to press a kiss to Felix’s forehead. “I guess you’re right, Yongbok. What matters now is that I don’t make the same mistake again. I’m not going to let Hyunjin get hurt anymore.”

Getting up from his chair, Felix wrapped his arms around Changbin. “Mm-hm.”

Changbin wrapped his own arms around Felix, relishing in the feel of having his beloved within the secure confines of his arms. “And you, Yongbok. You need to stop teasing Hyunjin.”

“Me, tease Hyunjin? I would never.”

“What was that stunt you pulled in the elevators the other day then? And that time in the kitchen too.”

“It’s not called teasing if I meant it. Besides, it’s not my fault that Hyunjin has the prettiest lips and I can’t help but think of kissing them all the time.”

“He does have the prettiest lips,” Changbin agreed with a soft sigh. “But you’re going to scare him off like that. Jinnie still doesn’t know about everyone’s relationship yet. If you confuse him too much, he’ll just react badly and try to run away. You know what Hyunjin is like.”

“Can’t we just tell him about our relationship then? And let him know that we want him to be part of it too. I mean, he always was part of it but… well, you know what I mean.”

“It’s still too early. It hasn’t even been a month since Hyunjin started living with us again. Do you really think he will accept our offer so quickly?”

“You have a point. It’s just…” Felix sighed heavily. “…I really hate waiting when it comes to our baby.”

“Patience, Yongbok. We've been so patient all these years, waiting for him to return to our sides. What’s another few weeks or months of waiting?”

Felix nodded reluctantly as he leaned in to peck Changbin’s lips. “Oh!” He pulled away, eyes widening. “I almost forgot that I promised Hyunjin that I would be home in time for dinner to make him the pork cutlets that he had been craving.”

Changbin lifted his wrist to glance at his watch. “Well, you need to get going then. It’s already past dinner time. We can’t have our Jinnie getting hungry, can we?”

“But…” Felix looked down helplessly at his desk. “…I’ve still got so much unfinished work.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Changbin released his grip around Felix, taking the other's hand instead. “We can always come back to the office to work on them later. Or do them tomorrow. Nothing’s that urgent anyway. Making sure that our Jinnie is well-fed is more important than work. Chan-hyung will never fault you for that.”

Felix smiled, squeezing Changbin’s hand. “Are you sure you’re not just saying that because you want to have pork cutlets for dinner?”

“Well… it’s been a while since I had your pork cutlets.”

“Alright, you can eat all the pork cutlets you want tonight,” Felix laughed. “Let’s go home. Baby’s waiting for us.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/galexyii)


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